Lyon welcome Fenerbahce with Champions League progress in sight

Olympique Lyonnais will look to complete their route into the UEFA Champions League group stage when they host Fenerbahce in the second leg of their qualifying play-off at Groupama Stadium on Wednesday.

Lyon secured a valuable 1-1 draw in Turkey in the first meeting, giving Paulo Fonseca’s side a narrow advantage before the decisive return fixture. The match will kick off at 19:00 GMT on 26 August 2026.

The French club’s recent form and home advantage have strengthened their position. Lyon followed their success over Sparta Prague in the previous qualifying round with a 2-0 victory away to Toulouse in their opening Ligue 1 match of the season.

They also have an encouraging record against Fenerbahce. Before the first leg, Olympique Lyonnais had never lost in five previous meetings with the Turkish club. The draw in Istanbul extended that unbeaten run to six matches. Lyon have won twice at home during that sequence, with victories by 3-1 and 4-2.

That history offers further encouragement as the French side attempt to protect their lead and secure their place in the next stage of European football’s premier club competition.

Fenerbahce face a more demanding task because they must score if they are to overturn the tie and continue their European campaign. The Istanbul club reached this play-off after eliminating Gornik and Sturm Graz.

They go into the match after a convincing 4-2 win over Konyaspor, although that result followed a 2-1 defeat away to Genclerbirligi. Fenerbahce will now need a strong performance in Lyon to keep their Champions League hopes alive.

Lyon are considered slight favourites for the second leg. The available probabilities give them a 46% chance of winning, compared with 21% for a draw and 25% for a Fenerbahce victory.

Africafoot’s prediction is a 1-0 win for Lyon.

The match will be shown in France by Canal+. In Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States, coverage will be available on Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, CBS, Fubo, DAZN and TUDN/ViX respectively, as listed for those markets. DAZN will screen the game in Canada, while Canal+ Sport Afrique will broadcast it across Africa.

Viewers in Australia can watch on Stan Sport, with TNT Sports listed for Brazil and ESPN for Latin America.

The bookmakers’ prices supplied by 1xbet list Lyon at 1.90 to win, a draw at 3.70 and a Fenerbahce victory at 3.85. The return leg takes place at Groupama Stadium, Lyon, with the winner progressing from the qualifying play-off tie.