L’Olympique Lyonnais faces a pivotal moment as they kick off their Champions League journey against Sparta Prague in the third qualifying round. With a tie that could make or break their European ambitions this season, the Gones must deliver a strong performance in Prague to avoid an early exit. The stakes are high: victory secures a path to the play-offs, while defeat risks relegating them to the Europa League, regardless of their Ligue 1 standing from last May.

Paulo Fonseca’s squad arrives in the Czech capital with several key absences. Moussa Niakhaté and Nicolas Tagliafico serve suspensions, while Khalis Merah and Pavel Sulc remain unavailable. Additionally, Felix Bacher, the club’s seventh summer signing, is still awaiting clearance. The offensive lineup may feature Julien Duranville, the Belgian winger poached from Borussia Dortmund for €5 million, alongside Abner—repositioned to the right flank—and Loïs Openda, the new loan signing from Juventus in the striker role. Malick Fofana, Ernest Nuamah, and Rémi Himbert are likely to start on the bench.

Projected starting XI for Lyon: Greif – Mata, Tessmann, Kluivert, Ouédraogo – Morton, De Carvalho, Tolisso – Abner, Openda, Duranville.

Where to watch the Lyon vs Sparta Prague match

Sparta Prague, runners-up in their domestic league, will host the French side at the epet Arena, a venue packed with 18,349 passionate supporters. Adam Karabec, a creative midfielder with ties to Lyon through a previous loan spell, will spearhead the home side’s attack. Meanwhile, Jonatan Braut Brunes, cousin of Erling Haaland, lines up as the main striker for the Czech club.

Should Lyon advance past Sparta Prague, their next challenge awaits in the play-offs against the winner of the Fenerbahçe-Sturm Graz tie, as determined by Monday’s draw. The first leg of this high-stakes clash is set to air exclusively on Canal+, with the return fixture scheduled for next Tuesday at 19:00 on the same premium channel. All second-leg matches of the third qualifying round are slated for Tuesday, following the Super Cup clash between PSG and Aston Villa, also broadcast on Canal+ the night before.

By Mariama Hamani — Analyst