Sparta Prague head to France with a 2-1 lead from the first leg
Lyon won three of their final four home games in 2025-26
Recommended bet: Lyon to win and both teams to score at 17/10 with LiveScore Bet
Lyon's first competitive game of the season did not go well, missing a penalty through Corentin Tolisso and squandering a half-time lead to lose 2-1 to Sparta Prague.
Sparta have since lost 2-0 at Mlada Boleslav and need to respond as they look to feature in the league phase of the Champions League for the second time, after qualifying in 2024-25, taking four points from their first two games before losing six in a row.
Previously Champions League regulars, Lyon have not played in this competition since losing in the semi-finals to winners Bayern Munich in 2019-20.
However, they are usually excellent at home, winning three of their last four in Decines-Charpieu last season, and are backed to win a thriller.
The latest Lyon vs Sparta Prague odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Team news
Lyon remain without Khalis Menah due to an ankle injury, while new signing Mads Bidstrup and playmaker Pavel Sulc are also absent with knee issues.
Midfielders Magnus Andersen and Patrik Vydra have not featured for Sparta this season.
Those two and Jakub Martinec are all unavailable.
The stats
This will be the teams' seventh meeting – five of the six games have featured both teams scoring, with the anomalies being Lyon wins of 5-0 in 2004 and 3-0 in 2021.
Lyon have won all three of the pair's previous meetings played in France, by an aggregate of 10-1.
There were four or more goals in Les Gones' last three home games of 2025-26, and their last six competitive matches have produced over 2.5 goals.
Tolisso will hope to make amends for his penalty miss, especially as the team he has played for has won seven of the last eight Champions League fixtures he has scored in, drawing the other.
There have been more than two goals in six of Sparta's last seven Champions League qualifiers.
Rudi have also been trailing at half-time in both competitive away games this season.
The latest Lyon vs Sparta Prague odds are available on LiveScore Bet
Prediction
Lyon kick off their Ligue 1 campaign at Toulouse on Saturday and can do so with the boost of having progressed to the play-off round of the Champions League, where they will face either Fenerbahce or Sturm Graz.
Les Gones lost 4-0 to an inspired Lens side on the final day of 2025-26 but had won their three home games before that and are often excellent in Decines-Charpeau.
However, like all Paulo Fonseca sides, there is a real risk-reward to their play and visiting coach Brian Priske will be urging his players to remain patient and wait for errors.
That should lead to an open game, but if it turns into a shootout, Lyon look too good for their Czech opponents.
Correct score prediction: Lyon 3-1 Sparta Prague
Back Lyon to win and both teams to score at 17/10 with LiveScore Bet
