Preview: Sparta Prague vs Lyon - prediction, team news, lineups

Sparta Prague and Lyon will look to take a significant step towards the Champions League playoffs when they begin their third-round tie at Letna Stadium on Tuesday.

Both teams received byes for the previous two qualifying rounds and are now just four games away from securing a place in next season's edition of Europe's premier club competition.

Match preview

After seven Champions League appearances in nine years from 1997-98 to 2005-06, Sparta Prague were absent from the big stage for 18 years before returning in the 2024-25 edition, where they exited in the League Phase after managing just four points from eight outings.

Brian Priske's side had to settle for Conference League football last season, but after finishing second in the Czech First League behind city rivals Slavia Prague, they now have a shot at making it two Champions League appearances in three seasons.

The Maroons bounced back from a 3-1 defeat to Zbrojovka Brno in their league opener on July 25 by beating Zlin 3-1 on Friday - a result that has undoubtedly lifted the mood in the dressing room ahead of Tuesday's continental clash.

However, Sparta's record against Lyon makes for grim reading: the Czech side are winless in six previous meetings, five of which ended in defeat, including both encounters in the 2021-22 Europa League group stages.

Nonetheless, Tuesday's hosts will bank on their strong home form, having now gone six competitive home matches unbeaten (W5, D1) while scoring 12 goals and conceding just three.

Lyon sat third in Ligue 1 heading into the penultimate matchday last season and looked poised to secure an automatic Champions League return before defeats in their final two games saw them slip to fourth, resulting in their participation in the qualifiers.

Paulo Fonseca's men have not featured in the Champions League since bowing out to eventual winners Bayern Munich in 2020 and will feel a return is overdue after coming agonisingly close in recent seasons.

After kicking off pre-season with three straight wins, Les Gones lost two of their final three warm-up matches, most recently suffering a 4-0 defeat to La Liga side Real Betis on Wednesday evening.

Consequently, Lyon travel to Prague for their first competitive match of 2026-27 in poor form, knowing that a victory would provide a much-needed boost ahead of both the return leg at the Groupama Stadium next week and the start of their Ligue 1 campaign later this month.

Tuesday’s visitors have not lost the first leg of a two-legged European tie in any of their last nine, dating back to May 2017 when they were beaten 4-1 by Ajax in the Europa League semi-finals, rendering their 3-1 second-leg win inconsequential.

Sparta Prague form (all competitions):

Lyon friendlies form:

Team News

Ondrej Penxa and Magnus Andersen are both ruled out for Sparta Prague due to knee injuries, while Elias Cobbaut and Emmanuel Uchenna remain sidelined with groin problems.

The hosts are also without Peter Vindahl, Patrik Vydra, Sivert Mannsversk, and Jakub Martinec.

Roman Macek is a doubt, having only just joined from Mlada Boleslav, but Ebrima Singhateh is available after missing the last two matches due to suspension.

Fresh from completing a loan move from Juventus, Lois Openda is expected to be handed the chance to make an immediate impact for his new club as they prepare to bid farewell to Pavel Sulc after a phenomenal 2025-26 campaign.

Tanner Tessmann, Orel Mangala, Nicolas Tagliafico, and Ernest Nuamah are also facing uncertain futures with the visitors, who must navigate ongoing financial constraints.

Sparta Prague possible starting lineup:

Surovcik; Mercado, Sorensen, Sevinsky, Suchomel; Irving, Sochurek; Alcocer, Karabec, Haraslin; Brunes

Lyon possible starting lineup:

Greif; Ouedraogo, Kluivert, Mata, Maitland-Niles; Tolisso, Morton, Tessmann; Duranville, Himbert, Boudache

We say: Sparta Prague 1-2 Lyon

Having already returned to competitive action, Sparta Prague could have a slight physical edge over Lyon, but the visitors still boast a superior squad.

We expect Lyon to edge a narrow win on Tuesday, putting themselves in pole position to advance next week.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.