Crystal Palace have one foot in the final of the UEFA Conference League after an impressive 3-1 win over Shakhtar Donetsk in Poland.
Oliver Glasner just needs to avoid a three-goal swing at Selhurst Park on Thursday to ensure the Eagles book a trip to Leipzig, where either Rayo Vallecano or Strasbourg will await.
Many will feel the job is already done, but Shakhtar Donetsk goalkeeper Dmytro Riznyk is keen to keep Crystal Palace on their toes.
Dmytro Riznyk tells Crystal Palace to be ready for the second leg
Speaking to Football 24 after the result in Krakow, the Ukraine international said: “They probably already think they’re in the final. Let’s see.
“We’ll play. Nothing’s lost yet. Let’s draw conclusions so that we can play better in the next game. Of course (we can come back). We have to give it our all.”
There is some reason for Crystal Palace – who want Santiago Bueno – to be wary of the Ukrainian giants on Thursday.
Shakhtar Donetsk have only lost one fixture away from home this season in 22 games across all competitions, so they will have few qualms about coming to Selhurst Park.
However, that one loss came against Dynamo Kyiv, who Crystal Palace easily defeated 2-0 in the UEFA Conference League earlier this season, which will give Glasner some confidence.
Ultimately, if we can score first, the tie should be over. Even a 1-0 defeat would be enough to take us into the final on aggregate.
With Glasner – who Kieran McKenna could replace – at the helm, every Crystal Palace fan should be confident of navigating this potential banana skin.
The Austrian overcame two legs against Barcelona on his way to winning the 2021/22 UEFA Europa League with Eintracht Frankfurt, also knocking West Ham out while beating Olympiacos and Real Betis along the way.
Having been there and done it already in a superior European competition, Glasner has the tools to take us all the way.
