Is OL moving closer to winning the group?
In Group A of the Europa League, Olympique Lyon won 4-3 at Sparta Prague a fortnight ago despite being 2-0 down. The Gones thus won their third group game and are now heading for early qualification for the knockout phase.
The club from the Czech capital has been in the French’s favour so far. OL have not lost any of their five competitive matches against the Rudí (four wins, one draw). In the run-up to the second leg between Lyon and Sparta Prague, the odds are clearly in favour of the home side.
Nevertheless, the Czechs arrive in good form. Of their last eleven competitive matches, Sparta only lost the first leg against Lyon (seven wins, three draws). In the Fortuna Liga, too, the Rudí scored 30 points out of a possible 39, but fluffed their dress rehearsal at Banik Ostrau at the weekend (final score: 2:2).
Accordingly, there is a lot of value to be found in the betting on Lyon against Sparta Prague, on the one hand that the Gones will also score in their sixth competitive match against the Czechs, while on the other hand it could once again be a high-scoring affair.
Lyon – Statistics & current form
Fourth in Ligue 1, Olympique Lyon qualified directly for the group stage of the Europa League, where the eight-time French champions still made it to the semi-finals in 2017. A year ago, the Gones even reached the semi-finals of the Champions League, which is why several key players left.
However, those responsible around coach Peter Bosz did a good job and got players such as the resurgent Jérôme Boateng on loan or brought in Xherdan Shaqiri for just six million euros.
A landmark week for Lyon
OL’s current position is correspondingly solid, which is why the current interim result will depend heavily on how this week goes. If the French side win their fourth game in the Europa League and book an early ticket to the knockout phase, that would be just as positive as a victory in Ligue 1 over neighbours Stade Rennes, which would keep Bosz’s team, currently in sixth place, at the top of the table.
If, on the other hand, the Gones lose both games, things would not only suddenly get exciting again in Group A of the Europa League. At national level, they could even drop to tenth place.
Have not yet lost any of their ten home games in the EL group stage
But it’s not just the first leg, which was won 4:3 after a strong fight, that is encouraging for the home match against Sparta. The recent record is also encouraging. OL have lost only two of their last 13 competitive matches and are still unbeaten at home in the Groupama Stadium.
On top of that, the Gones have a run of ten home games in the Europa League group stage, of which they have not lost a single match (eight wins, two draws). The double chance 1X bet on Lyon against Sparta Prague is therefore a good bet.
Predicted line-up of Lyon:
Lopes – Palmieri – Denayer – Boateng – Dubois – Guimaraes – Caqueret – Ekambi – Aouar – Shaqiri – Paquetá
Last matches played by Lyon:
Ligue 1
10/30 2021 – Lyon 2 – 1 Lens
10/24 2021 – Nice 3 – 2 Lyon
Europa League Grp. A
10/21 2021 – Sp. Prague 3 – 4 Lyon
Ligue 1
10/16 2021 – Lyon 2 – 0 AS Monaco
10/03 2021 – Saint-Etienne 1 – 1 Lyon
Sparta Prague – Statistics & current form
Sparta Prague is one of the most successful teams in the country, having won 36 national championships. It is true that the Rudí (in German: die Roten) were able to win the national cup for the first time in six years in the summer of 2020. However, the last championship dates back to the 2013/14 season.
This year, too, Železná Sparta (Iron Sparta) only finished second in the final table, although the Czechs were still able to take part in the Champions League qualifiers.
Four points out of a possible nine with 4:4 goals
After beating Rapid Wien, Pavel Vrba’s men were defeated by AS Monaco and had to make do with the Europa League, in which they reached the quarter-finals in 2016.
The Czechs are also doing solidly at the moment. Sparta started Group A with four points out of a possible six and 1:0 goals, before even taking a 2:0 lead in the first leg against Lyon. Then, however, the defence wobbled time and again, resulting in a 4-3 loss in the end. The Rudí are nevertheless in second place and are likely to speculate on a place in the knockout phase.
Lost nine of last eleven European away games
The momentum is also right with the Czechs. The aforementioned defeat against Lyon was the only game lost among the last eleven competitive matches, with 30 of a possible 39 points also having already been claimed in league action.
Nevertheless, there is also a good reason why the Rudís come to the French southeast as stark underdogs: The Czechs have lost nine of their last eleven international matches on foreign soil (one win, one draw).
Predicted line-up of Sparta Prague:
Nita – Hancko – Celústka – Panák – Wiesner – Haraslín – Pavelka – Sácek – Pesek – Hlozek – Minchev
Last matches played by Sparta Prague:
1st league
10/31 2021 – Banik Ostrava 2 – 2 Sp. Prague
Cup
10/27 2021 – Teplice 0 – 2 Sp. Prague
1st League
10/24 2021 – Sp. Prague 1 – 0 Mlada Boleslaw
Europa League Grp. A
10/21 2021 – Sp. Prague 3 – 4 Lyon
1st League
10/17 2021 Pardubice 2 – 4 Sp. Prague
Lyon – Sparta Prague Direct comparison / H2H-balance
Head to head: 4 – 1 – 0
There have been a total of five competitive matches between the two teams and OL is still unbeaten against the Czechs. The Gones secured their fourth win in the 4-3 victory in the first leg.
Lyon – Sparta Prague tip
When it comes to Lyon against Sparta Prague, the prediction clearly goes in the direction of the south-eastern French, who have never lost a home match in a Europa League group stage in history (eight wins, two draws) and are also unbeaten in their own stadium in the 2021/22 season. This compares to the kickers from the Czech capital, who have lost nine of their last eleven international away games.
Betting on the Gones not to lose and to move closer to winning the group with another point is suitably illustrious. In view of the offensive power of both teams, this can be profitably combined with a bet on over 2.5 goals.
