Overview
After luckily taking the lead thanks to Martin Suchomel's own goal right before halftime, Lyon could not preserve the advantage. 2 consecutive goals from Matej Rynes and John Mercado helped Sparta Prague reverse the score to win.
The defeat in the first leg makes Paulo Fonseca's team face a difficult task in the second leg at home. If they cannot qualify for the Champions League play-offs, Lyon will suffer a major morale boost before starting their Ligue 1 campaign with a match against Toulouse at the end of the month.
Lyon has never reversed the situation after losing in the first leg in all six previous Champions League matches, whether in the qualifiers or the group stage. This statistic shows that challenges are waiting for the French team.
The rare positive point is that Lyon opened the scoring in the first leg. A favorable start at home will help them create more pressure and arouse belief in the ability to reverse the score.
Lyon also has a fairly good home record in European competitions when they are unbeaten in the last 9 matches since 2016. However, 7 of those matches ended in a draw. If they continue to be unable to win, Lyon will have to say goodbye to the Champions League and play in the Europa League.
Meanwhile, Sparta Prague is facing the opportunity to defeat Lyon for the first time in both legs after ending a 6-match losing streak against this opponent. The victory in the first leg also gives the Czech Republic team a significant advantage.
Sparta rotated the squad in the match against Mlada Boleslav in the domestic league to prioritize the confrontation with Lyon, but this decision did not bring the desired result when they lost 0-2.
This is also Sparta's second consecutive defeat away from home this season, with a total of 5 goals conceded. The defense continues to be a worrying issue as Brian Priske's team has gone through 6 consecutive matches without keeping a clean sheet.
However, Priske affirmed that Sparta will not choose a passive defense to protect the advantage. The 49-year-old strategist wants his players to control the ball better and create more chances against Lyon, who have defeated Sparta in all three home games against this opponent.
Personnel situation
Khalis Merah is still undergoing ankle injury treatment and cannot return to the Lyon squad, although the 19-year-old midfielder is almost recovered. Mads Bistrup is also absent due to a knee injury, while Pavel Sulc faces an uncertain future due to receiving attention from other clubs.
Corentin Tolisso will really want to correct his mistake after missing an important penalty in the first leg in Prague.
On Sparta Prague's side, Magnus Andersen, Patrik Vydra and Jakub Martinec have not been able to return after problems that caused them to be absent from last season.
Matej Rynes is a noteworthy name on the visiting team's side. This left-back had an impressive performance in the first leg and continued to show his ability to create a significant threat in attacks.
Expected lineup:
Lyon: Greif, Kluivert, Tessmann, Mata, Ouedraogo, Carvalho, Morton, Maitland-Niles, Tolisso, Openda, Vinicius.
Sparta Prague: Surovcik, Suchomel, Sevinsky, Sorensen, Rynes, Macek, Irving, Mercado, Karabec, Alcocer, Brunes.
The match between Lyon and Sparta Prague takes place at 2:00 a.m. on August 12 (Vietnam time).
