Sparta Praha vs Olympique Lyon Preview – prediction, team news, lineups | UEFA Champions League qualifiers

Can Lyon’s new loanee signing Openda help French outfit clinch UCL spot against Czechia’s Sparta Praha?

Pragues Letna Hill in Prague, Czechia, gears up to host the UEFA Champions League qualifying fixture. Czech outfit Sparta Praha take on French giants Olympique Lyon in what is set to be a thrilling contest between these two sides.

Sparta Praha finished second in the Czech top flight behind Slavia Praha. They had to make peace with a UCL qualifying spot and will be keen to go all guns blazing to take an unassailable lead in the home leg before they head to Lyon for the final leg.

They have won three of their last five games and are coming off a 3-1 win over FC Ziln. They have roped in players like Roman Macek from Mlada Boleslav, Tobias Guddal from Tromso. They are led by Danish coach Brian Priske, who has previously coached teams such as Feyenoord and Royal Antwerp.

Lyon were just a point short of clinching a direct spot in the UEFA Champions League in Ligue 1. They are led by Portuguese gaffer Paulo Fonseca, who has been at the helm of teams like AC Milan, AS Roma and FC Porto before making a move to France with Lyon in January 2025.

They have acquired the services of Lois Openda from Juventus and Mads Bidstrup from Salzburg. They are coming off a 4-0 defeat to Real Betis in their last friendly, and Fonseca’s side must regroup to give it their all in the next two games to bring back UCL nights to Groupama Stadium.

Kick-off:

• Location: Praha, Czechia
• Stadium: Pragues Letna Hill
• Kick-off time: 7:00 p.m. BST / 11:30 p.m. IST
• Date: Tuesday, 4 August
• Referee: TBD
• VAR: Not in use

Form:

Sparta Praha (in all competitions): W-L-L-W-W

Lyon (in all competitions): L-W-W-W-L

Players to Watch

Jonatan Braut Brunes (Sparta Praha)

The Norwegian striker will have big responsibilities on his shoulders to break the deadlock and find the back of the net against a strong and resilient Lyon defence. The Bryne-born striker honed his skills at OH Leuven and Raków Częstochowa before finding his new home in Prague.

In his debut game against FC Ziln, he scored and helped Praha clinch a 3-1 win. He will be up against the African defensive duo of Clinton Mata and Moussa Niakhate, who are highly physical in nature.

Lois Openda (Lyon)

Openda, the new face of Lyon who is on loan, will be raring to go all guns blazing for his new team after making a high-profile loan move from Juventus. After being left out of Rudi Garcia’s final Belgium squad for the FIFA World Cup 2026, he will be determined to make a comeback.

He had a pretty poor season in Italy with Juve, and Lyon offers him more game time and the freedom to play fearlessly. A lightning-fast centre forward, Openda is one of the most explosive counter-attacking forwards in Europe, and he will be a delight to watch out for in a Lyon jersey.

Match Facts

• Lyon have never lost a game against Sparta Praha
• These two sides last met in Europa League and Lyon thrashed them 3-1
• Karl Toko Ekambi of Lyon is the leading goal scorer in this fixture.

Sparta Praha vs Olympique Lyon: Betting Tips and Odds

• Lyon to win the game – 1/1 with bet365
• Lyon to qualify – 1/4 with bet365
• Sparta Praha 0-1 Olympique Lyon – 8/1 with bet365

Injury and Team News

Sparta Praha have a big list of injuries, including Roman Macek, Patrik Vydra, Ondrej Penxa and Magnus Kofod Andersen.

Argentine left back Tagliafico will be unavailable for the next game as he is yet to join the camp post FIFA World Cup 2026.

Head-to-Head

Total games: 06

Sparta Praha won: 00

Lyon won: 05

Matches drawn: 01

Predicted Lineups

Sparta Praha predicted lineup (4-2-3-1)

Jakub Surovčík (GK); Martin Suchomel, Dennis Sevínský, Asger Sørensen, John Mercado; Craig Irving, Hugo Sochůrek; Josimar Alcócer, Adam Karabec, Lukáš Haraslín; Jonatan Braut Brunes

Lyon predicted lineup (4-2-3-1)

Lucas Perri (GK); Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Clinton Mata, Moussa Niakhaté, Abner; Corentin Tolisso, Tanner Tessmann; Ernest Nuamah, Pavel Šulc, Malick Fofana; Loïs Openda

Match Prediction

Despite Praha’s home advantage, we expect the French outfit to go home with a slender one-goal lead. They will be relying on the brilliance of their new loan signing, Openda, upfront to find the back of the net.

Prediction: Sparta Praha 0-1 Olympique Lyon

Telecast Details

India: Sony Sports Network and SonyLIV

France: Canal+

Czechia: Prima Sport

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