- Lyon have won six of their last ten matches in all competitions, losing three and drawing one.
- Sparta Praha have won six of their last ten in all competitions, drawing one and losing three.
In-form Sparta Praha can make their mark in France
Olympique Lyonnais enter the second-leg of their UEFA Champions League Qualification 2026 tie with AC Sparta Praha as narrow favourites at 18/25, while the visitors are available at 73/20 and the draw at 3/1.
It's not a big edge in the markets, but the hosts have lost two of their last five matches after following up their 4-0 defeat away to Real Betis with a 2-1 defeat to Sparta in Prague last week. A response is needed here for Paulo Fonseca's men, but Sparta arrive on the back of two straight wins and with some serious confidence after seeing off FC Trinity Zlín 3-1 at the weekend.
The visitors have won three and lost two of their last five so there's a definite edge to this tie after the Czechs' 2-1 victory over Lyon in the reverse fixture last week. But with five wins and just one defeat from their last six at home across all competitions, the Groupama Stadium is usually a tough place for visiting teams to travel.
Sparta can score but may not be able to contain Lyon
However, Sparta can be a tough nut to crack themselves and they're an interesting team to play against. Brian Priske sets them up to be compact and direct, while their energetic pressing, wing play and penetration on the counter means they can catch teams on the break.
Lyon operate in a different sphere, using the ball to manipulate the game and control the rhythm with their positional play and flexible back-three/back-four structure. The contrast should make this a chess match, with Lyon looking to overload and probe, and Sparta looking to disrupt, spring forward and punish the channels.
Sparta score an average of 1.40 goals per away game in all competitions, while they also concede 2.00 per match on their travels, which points to them nicking a goal or two here but also getting exposed themselves.
Back goals in Lyon’s home ground
Over 2.5 goals comes in at 67/100 for this matchup and Both Teams to Score - Yes at 13/20 also appeals, although we think a home win is still the most likely outcome.
Lyon's matches at this venue have been wild rides this season with the hosts scoring an average of 3.33 and conceding 2.33 across all competitions, so they tend to crack open pretty quickly. The likeliest script here is a tight Lyon win or a nervy, low-margin contest, so we're going for a home victory and both teams to get on the scoresheet.
Remi Himbert has three of Lyon's eight goals in their last five games, so he is the most in-form finisher in Fonseca's attack, while John Mercado is Sparta Praha's sharpest blade with three in five and one goal in UEFA Champions League Qualification 2026, so he's the man to watch in transition.
