Preview #9: Olympique Lyonnais

Our series of Ligue 1 McDonald's previews continues with Olympique Lyonnais, who will look to reach the league phase of the Champions League after today's first-leg draw with Fenerbahçe.

Last season

While not as gutting as OL's elimination from the Europa League thanks to two late goals by Manchester United two seasons ago, 2025/26 will have still stung for fans of Les Gones. The team did incredibly well to navigate the departure of Alexandre Lacazette and Rayan Cherki, as well as long-term injuries to Ernest Nuamah and Malick Fofana, but given the bitter nature of their defeat to Celta Vigo in the Europa League and their having coughed up a place in the Champions League league phase thanks to a pair of shock defeats to end the season, there's a sense of this campaign being unfinished business for Paulo Fonseca and his charges.

The coach:

Fonseca has had his ups and downs, notably having served a lengthy touchline ban domestically, but as he's now the division's third-longest tenured manager after Luis Enrique and Didier Digard, he's more than proven his worth. Already experienced in French football following a spell at Lille, he's looked every bit as effective at Lyon, endeavoring to play attractive, front-foot football with a focus on developing young talent. Add in just the right amount of veteran experience, and he's all but the perfect candidate for OL as they negotiate their new financial reality.

Key arrivals

Despite limited means this summer, Lyon have done incredibly well to bolster their squad with exciting young talent while still exercising financial restraint. Players like Mads Bidstrup and Openda are still relatively young, but have no lack of European experience, while the likes of Julien Duranville and Noham Kamara will be ambitious to prove themselves having arrived from bigger clubs.

Key departures

After a mass exodus last season, Lyon's outgoings have been rather more restrained. Despite having failed to retain Endrick on loan, and allowing Afonso Moreira to decamp to Bayer Leverkusen, this squad is largely the same, with only fringe players (Orel Mangala, Adam Karabec, Roman Yaremchuk) having ended their spells at Groupama Stadium.

Remember when...

Lyon's most memorable season in recent vintage is probably 2019/20, when the club reached the semifinals of the Champions League by upsetting first Juventus and then Manchester City. Having also reached the final of the Coupe de la Ligue, it seemed a bright new day for the club, given the subsequent emergence of Brazilian internationals Lucas Paquetá and Bruno Guimaraes, but even if subsequent seasons were less kind, there are still plenty of magical moments from that year.

Cult hero: Cris

The Brazilian defender only won a handful of caps for his country, but for Lyon he was a commanding presence from the moment he arrived from Cruzeiro. A key part of four league titles, a run to the Champions League semifinals and a Coupe de France as well, "Le Policier" continues to be held in high regard at Lyon.

>> Preview #12: OGC Nice
>> Lyon battle to UCL draw away to Fenerbahçe