Sparta Prague
The first leg of the Champions League third qualifying round tie between Sparta Praha and Lyon will take place at the Generali Arena in Prague on 4 August 2026 at 19:00 BST.
Both clubs qualified for the Champions League through last season's domestic campaigns: Sparta Praha finished runners-up in Czechia, losing the title to Slavia Praha, while Lyon came fourth in France's Ligue 1, allowing the team to return to the Champions League for the first time in a long while.
Sparta Praha go into their European opener in less than ideal mood: they suffered an unexpected defeat in the first round of the Czech league, and only then took three points against Zlin (3:1). Their pre-season friendlies also offer little reassurance — defeats to Jagiellonia (0:1) and Nordsjaelland (1:5) exposed the Prague side's defensive problems.
Lyon, meanwhile, have shown far more convincing attacking form in pre-season — wins over St Gallen (6:3) and Macon (5:2) were high-scoring at both ends, which points more to the French side being further along in their pre-season preparations than to any particular defensive reliability. Even so, in terms of squad quality and depth, Lyon are objectively superior to their upcoming opponents. Especially after a successful transfer window in which they managed to bring in Lois Openda for next to nothing, with the forward eager to rehabilitate himself after his failure in Italy.
There have not been many head-to-head meetings between the clubs in recent history, and the most recent, back in 2021, went the way of the French side (3:0). Given the gap in class, as well as Sparta Praha's unstable start to the season, it is logical to expect Lyon to leave Prague with a win, even if only by a narrow margin.
Serdar Gozubuyuk (Netherlands)
Matches – 8 (international fixtures, 2025–2026);
Average fouls per match – 27;
Average yellow cards per match (including second yellows) – 4.8;
Matches with red cards – 1 out of 8;
Matches with penalties – 3 out of 8.
|
Brian Priske
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
Line-up
|
|||
|
J. Surovčík
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Adam Ševínský
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Asger Strømgaard Sørensen
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Martin Suchomel
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Matěj Ryneš
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Adam Karabec
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Andrew Irving
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Roman Macek
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
John Anthony Mercado Cuero
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Jonatan Braut Brunes
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Josimar Angelo Alcócer McCook
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Substitutes
|
|||
|
Krisztián Hegyi
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Jaroslav Zelený
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Pavel Kadeřábek
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Viktor Tamás Vitályos
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Dominik Hollý
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Hugo Sochůrek
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Lukáš Haraslín
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Santiago Eneme Bocari
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ebrima Singhateh
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Garang Mawien Kuol
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Joao Alberto Grimaldo Ubidia
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Matyáš Vojta
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Paulo Fonseca
|
coach | ||
| Player | Matches | Goals | |
|
Line-up
|
|||
|
Dominik Greif
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Abner Vinícius da Silva Santos
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Clinton Mukoni Mata Pedro Lourenço
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mohamed Ouédraogo
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ruben Caine Kluivert
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ainsley Cory Maitland-Niles
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Corentin Tolisso
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Francis Tanner James Tessmann
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Mathys de Carvalho Soares
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Tyler Scott Morton
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Loïs Openda
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Substitutes
|
|||
|
Steeve Kango
|
0 | 0 | |
|
Rémy Serge Claude Descamps
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Yvann Birama Konan
|
gk. | 0 | 0 |
|
Noham Fadjigui Kamara
|
df. | 0 | 0 |
|
Noah Teye Nartey
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Orel Johnson Mangala
|
mf. | 0 | 0 |
|
Ernest Nuamah Appiah
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Julien Dienda Duranville
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Kaïl Boudache
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Malick Martin Fofana
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
|
Rémi Stéphane Himbert
|
fw. | 0 | 0 |
Sparta Prague
AZ Alkmaar
AZ Alkmaar
Sparta Prague
Sparta Prague
Aberdeen
Universitatea
Sparta Prague
Legia
Sparta Prague
Sparta Prague
Rakow Czestochowa
Rijeka
Sparta Prague
Sparta Prague
Shamrock Rovers
FC Riga
Sparta Prague
Sparta Prague
FC Riga
Lyon
Lens
Toulouse
Lyon
Lyon
Rennes
Lyon
Auxerre
PSG
Lyon
Lyon
Lorient
Angers
Lyon
Lyon
Monaco
Lyon
Celta
Le Havre
Lyon
Europa League 2021-2022
Lyon
Sparta Prague
Sparta Prague
Lyon
Europa League 2012-2013
Sparta Prague
Lyon
Lyon
Sparta Prague
Champions League 2004-2005
Lyon
Sparta Prague
Sparta Prague
Lyon
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
PSG
|
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 20:5 | 12 |
|
2
|
Real Madrid
|
|
4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 13:7 | 12 |
|
3
|
Arsenal
|
|
4 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 8:3 | 10 |
|
4
|
Como
|
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 19:6 | 9 |
|
5
|
Barcelona
|
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14:6 | 9 |
|
6
|
Aston Villa
|
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12:6 | 9 |
|
7
|
Manchester City
|
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 12:7 | 9 |
|
8
|
Liverpool
|
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 14:10 | 9 |
|
9
|
Brugge
|
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 11:7 | 9 |
|
10
|
Sporting CP
|
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8:4 | 9 |
|
11
|
Real Betis
|
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8:6 | 9 |
|
12
|
Borussia Dortmund
|
|
4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 7:5 | 9 |
|
13
|
Bayern Munich
|
|
4 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 12:5 | 8 |
|
14
|
Stuttgart
|
|
4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7:4 | 7 |
|
15
|
Inter Milan
|
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8:6 | 6 |
|
16
|
LASK Linz
|
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 10:9 | 6 |
|
17
|
Manchester United
|
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8:8 | 6 |
|
18
|
Galatasaray
|
|
4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 8:9 | 6 |
|
19
|
Fenerbahce
|
|
4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 6:11 | 5 |
|
20
|
AS Roma
|
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 10:8 | 4 |
|
21
|
Shakhtar Donetsk
|
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4:4 | 4 |
|
22
|
Viking
|
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9:10 | 4 |
|
23
|
Atlético Madrid
|
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4:5 | 4 |
|
24
|
PSV
|
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3:4 | 4 |
|
25
|
Bodo Glimt
|
|
4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4:9 | 4 |
|
26
|
Porto
|
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6:7 | 3 |
|
27
|
Napoli
|
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6:11 | 3 |
|
28
|
Villarreal
|
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8:14 | 3 |
|
29
|
AEK Athens
|
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5:11 | 3 |
|
30
|
RB Leipzig
|
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 5:11 | 3 |
|
31
|
FK Sabah
|
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4:10 | 3 |
|
32
|
Feyenoord
|
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4:11 | 3 |
|
33
|
Lens
|
|
4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4:16 | 3 |
|
34
|
Slavia Prague
|
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 5:9 | 1 |
|
35
|
Lille
|
|
4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4:10 | 1 |
|
36
|
Slovan Bratislava
|
|
4 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1:17 | 0 |
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
PSG
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10:3 | 6 |
|
2
|
Real Madrid
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6:2 | 6 |
|
3
|
Como
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8:2 | 6 |
|
4
|
Barcelona
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 8:1 | 6 |
|
5
|
Aston Villa
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 9:1 | 6 |
|
6
|
Liverpool
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6:4 | 6 |
|
7
|
Real Betis
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 4:2 | 6 |
|
8
|
Borussia Dortmund
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5:3 | 6 |
|
9
|
Manchester United
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7:2 | 6 |
|
10
|
Fenerbahce
|
|
3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6:5 | 5 |
|
11
|
Bayern Munich
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7:2 | 4 |
|
12
|
Stuttgart
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4:2 | 4 |
|
13
|
Viking
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7:4 | 4 |
|
14
|
Bodo Glimt
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1:0 | 4 |
|
15
|
Arsenal
|
|
1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3:0 | 3 |
|
16
|
Manchester City
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7:5 | 3 |
|
17
|
Brugge
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5:3 | 3 |
|
18
|
Sporting CP
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5:4 | 3 |
|
19
|
Inter Milan
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4:4 | 3 |
|
20
|
LASK Linz
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7:6 | 3 |
|
21
|
Galatasaray
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:4 | 3 |
|
22
|
AS Roma
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7:4 | 3 |
|
23
|
Shakhtar Donetsk
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
24
|
Atlético Madrid
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2:2 | 3 |
|
25
|
Porto
|
|
3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4:4 | 3 |
|
26
|
Napoli
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4:4 | 3 |
|
27
|
Villarreal
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:7 | 3 |
|
28
|
AEK Athens
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:3 | 3 |
|
29
|
RB Leipzig
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:3 | 3 |
|
30
|
FK Sabah
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
31
|
Feyenoord
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:5 | 3 |
|
32
|
PSV
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2:3 | 1 |
|
33
|
Lens
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:11 | 0 |
|
34
|
Slavia Prague
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3:5 | 0 |
|
35
|
Lille
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4:7 | 0 |
|
36
|
Slovan Bratislava
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:3 | 0 |
| # | Team | Form | Matches played | W | D | L | G | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
Arsenal
|
|
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 5:3 | 7 |
|
2
|
PSG
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 10:2 | 6 |
|
3
|
Real Madrid
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 7:5 | 6 |
|
4
|
Manchester City
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5:2 | 6 |
|
5
|
Brugge
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6:4 | 6 |
|
6
|
Sporting CP
|
|
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 3:0 | 6 |
|
7
|
Bayern Munich
|
|
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 5:3 | 4 |
|
8
|
Como
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 11:4 | 3 |
|
9
|
Barcelona
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6:5 | 3 |
|
10
|
Aston Villa
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:5 | 3 |
|
11
|
Liverpool
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8:6 | 3 |
|
12
|
Real Betis
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4:4 | 3 |
|
13
|
Borussia Dortmund
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2:2 | 3 |
|
14
|
Stuttgart
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:2 | 3 |
|
15
|
Inter Milan
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4:2 | 3 |
|
16
|
LASK Linz
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:3 | 3 |
|
17
|
Galatasaray
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 5:5 | 3 |
|
18
|
PSV
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1:1 | 3 |
|
19
|
Lens
|
|
2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3:5 | 3 |
|
20
|
AS Roma
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3:4 | 1 |
|
21
|
Shakhtar Donetsk
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1:2 | 1 |
|
22
|
Atlético Madrid
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2:3 | 1 |
|
23
|
Slavia Prague
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2:4 | 1 |
|
24
|
Lille
|
|
2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0:3 | 1 |
|
25
|
Manchester United
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:6 | 0 |
|
26
|
Fenerbahce
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0:6 | 0 |
|
27
|
Viking
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2:6 | 0 |
|
28
|
Bodo Glimt
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3:9 | 0 |
|
29
|
Porto
|
|
1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2:3 | 0 |
|
30
|
Napoli
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2:7 | 0 |
|
31
|
Villarreal
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 5:7 | 0 |
|
32
|
AEK Athens
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2:8 | 0 |
|
33
|
RB Leipzig
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2:8 | 0 |
|
34
|
FK Sabah
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:8 | 0 |
|
35
|
Feyenoord
|
|
2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1:6 | 0 |
|
36
|
Slovan Bratislava
|
|
3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 1:14 | 0 |
