After suffering a surprise defeat to Slavia Prague (0-2) in their opening pre-season fixture in Herzogenaurach, Germany, Lyon will discover their Champions League opponent this Monday at midday. The third qualifying round matches are scheduled for August 4 or 5, with the return legs on August 11. As seeded teams, Lyon boast the highest UEFA coefficient (65.750) among potential opponents in this route, which could see them advance through four rounds (including playoffs on August 18-19 and 25-26) to reach the group stage.

A challenging path to Europe’s elite

Looking back at the past thirteen seasons since this format was introduced, only two Ligue 1 teams have successfully navigated this route: Monaco in summer 2016 and Lille in 2024. Lyon themselves fell short in August 2013, losing their playoff against Real Sociedad (0-2, 0-2). The road to the Champions League group stage has proven particularly treacherous, with just a handful of Ligue 1 sides making it through in recent years.

Potential opponents: strengths and weaknesses

Among the possible adversaries, Union Saint-Gilloise stands out with the highest UEFA coefficient (48.000) of the five potential opponents. The Belgian champions have shown impressive form, claiming the 2025 league title and the 2026 cup, while finishing runners-up to Club Brugge in the recent championship. Despite two previous Champions League qualifying exits, they reached the group stage last season, narrowly missing the knockout rounds on goal difference (27th with 9 points), including a memorable 2-3 loss to Marseille.

The Belgian side, playing in a defensive 5-3-2 formation, have been in solid shape during pre-season, aside from the expected departures including tall Dutch goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen (2.04m) and winger Anan Khalaili, who missed the PSV Eindhoven friendly due to a failed transfer to Inter Milan (€32 million with bonuses, a club record). Their preparations have included victories over Romanian side S. Bucarest (4-0) and Danish outfit Aarhus (2-1), though they were held to a 3-3 draw against PSV before going down 0-4 in the second half.

Sparta Prague, ranked second in the Czech league with a UEFA coefficient of 38.250, present another formidable challenge. Paulo Fonseca described them as an aggressive side that commits many fouls to disrupt opponents, making it difficult to build attacks against their organized defensive structure. The Czech team’s physical approach could test Lyon’s technical prowess in the upcoming clashes.

NEC Nijmegen, third in their domestic league with a coefficient of 13.585, would likely be the least daunting opponent. Meanwhile, the winner of the Austrian champions Sturm Graz (26.000) and Scottish runners-up Hearts will face a tough encounter in their playoff tie before potentially meeting Lyon. The matchups promise a mix of tactical challenges and physical demands for the French side.