Following their first defeat of the pre-season—a 0-2 loss to Slavia Prague on Saturday at the Adidas campus in Herzogenaurach, Germany—Olympique Lyonnais will learn this noon the identity of their third-round Champions League qualifier opponent. The first leg is scheduled for August 4th or 5th, with the return match on August 11th. As top seeds, Lyon boasts the highest UEFA coefficient (65.750) in this qualifying path, a ranking that could guide them through four matches—including a potential two-legged playoff on August 18-19 and 25-26—to the group stage.

A challenging path through Champions League qualifiers

Lyon’s route has rarely been smooth over the past thirteen seasons under this format (third round + playoffs). Only two Ligue 1 teams have successfully navigated it: Monaco in the summer of 2016 and Lille in 2024. The Gones themselves fell short in August 2013, losing their playoff to Real Sociedad—featuring Antoine Griezmann—2-0 on aggregate.

Potential opponents: strengths and weaknesses

Among the possible adversaries, Union Saint-Gilloise stands out with the highest UEFA coefficient (48.000) of the five contenders. The Belgian side, crowned Belgian champions in 2025 and cup winners in 2026, narrowly missed out on the Champions League group stage last season after finishing level on points with Marseille (9 points, 27th place). Their defensive 5-3-2 formation has remained largely unchanged, though goalkeeper Kjell Scherpen (2.04m) is reportedly set to depart, and winger Anan Khalaili is sidelined following a failed transfer to Inter Milan due to unsatisfactory cardiac tests.

Union have prepared since June 24th, with three pre-season fixtures under their belt: victories over Romanian side S. Bucarest (4-0) and Danish team Aarhus (2-1), and a 3-3 draw against PSV Eindhoven (played in two 75-minute halves), followed by a 0-4 loss. They will face Ostend in a closed-door friendly this Saturday before hosting Lille in another closed-door matchup, ahead of the Belgian Super Cup against Club Bruges on July 31st.

Sparta Prague, ranked second in the Czech Republic with a UEFA coefficient of 38.250, present another tough challenge. Paulo Fonseca described them as an aggressive side that commits many fouls to disrupt opponents, making it difficult to build attacks—lessons Lyon learned firsthand in their 4-3 loss to Slavia Prague last Saturday.

NEC Nijmegen, third in the Dutch Eredivisie (UEFA coefficient: 13.585), could also await Lyon. Meanwhile, the winner of the Austrian champions Sturm Graz (26.000) and Scottish runners-up Hearts will complete the list of potential opponents.

Lyon’s defensive struggles in pre-season

Lyon’s preparations have been far from flawless, conceding eight goals in four matches. Key absentees include Malick Fofana (ankle injury) and Moussa Niakhaté, who will miss the first leg due to suspension. Defensive lapses will need to be addressed, particularly if they face Dutch side NEC Nijmegen.