Crystal Palace face Shakhtar Donetsk in the first leg of their Conference League semi-final on Thursday.However, their clash with the 16-time Ukrainian champions will instead be played in Poland.Shakhtar have been forced to play their European ‘home’ matches in Poland this termGettyThe Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Krakow will host the match, with kick-off at 8pm, live on talkSPORT 2.It comes amid Shakhtar’s 12-year exile from their home city of Donetsk.The winner of their semi-final tie with Palace will face either Rayo Vallecano or Strasbourg at next month’s final in Leipzig.Why is Shakhtar vs Crystal Palace in Poland?Shakhtar have played all but one of their European matches in Krakow this season.It is due to a UEFA ruling requiring Ukrainian clubs to play home fixtures at neutral grounds.The rule has been in place since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.Shakhtar had already been forced to relocate from Donetsk in 2014 due to the conflict in the Donbas region.The war began after Russian-back fighters took control of the region, with the club subsequently displaced.They have since played matches in Lviv, Kharkiv and Kyiv across the last 12 years.talkSPORT verdictShakhtar’s success amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine was recognised on Sunday’s Trans Europe Express.The Henryk Reyman Municipal Stadium in Krakow will host Shakhtar’s clash with PalaceGettyPalace booked their place in the last four with a comfortable victory over Italian club FiorentinaShutterstock EditorialtalkSPORT’s Kevin Hatchard and Andy Brassell discussed the factors hindering the club on their run to the last four of the Conference League.Their clash with Palace will be their third European semi-final since the Donbas conflict began.Shakhtar previously made the last four of the Europa League in both 2016 and 2020, losing to Sevilla and Inter Milan, respectively.Hatchard explained: “It blows my mind when you think of the fact that they have not been able to play at their natural home for so long.“Every game they play in Europe is an away game. You think of what they’ve been through, what they’ve had to get used to.“Obviously the situation in their homeland is still so, so tough for them to deal with.Shakhtar are into their third European semi-final since being displaced from their homeGetty“The fact that they have shown this level of quality and bravery to get to a major European semi-final is just enormously impressive.”Shakhtar are also on course for a record-equalling 17th league title this season.Arda Turan’s side are eight points clear at the top of the table with five matches remaining.Brassell added: “It is, and it’s coming up to 12 years since they’ve played an authentic home game, that’s where they are, and in that time, this will be the third European semi-final that they’ve reached in UEFA club competition.“They’re closing in after a win today. They’re eight points clear at the top of the Ukrainian Premier League and they’re heading towards their seventh league title since then as well. So it’s just extraordinary, really.“I think we can talk about busy calendars and we have been talking about busy calendars and I still think that’s an issue throughout the show.Shakhtar are on course to win a record-equalling 17th league title this seasonGetty“That’s unavoidable when we’re talking about the top level of modern European football nowadays. But the sort of travelling that they have to do is on a different level.“You’re talking about long coach trips for every game, every European away game. When they come over to London, it will be a minimum of 12 hours for them to arrive in London.“You remember when Barcelona were bothered by the Icelandic ash cloud, which helped Jose Mourinho to the Champions League in 2010.“Shakhtar do that for every European away game and they’ve got no home games in between.“So the fact that they would have played four league games since the last round as well of the Conference League, it’s amazing.“So Palace are favourites, there’s no doubt about that. They’ll [Shakhtar] be well received in Poland where they’ve been playing all their ‘home’ games in the Conference League.”