Aston Villa’s victory in the Europa League final against Fribourg could shake things up for Lyon.
If the Villans hold onto their fourth place at the end of the last game of the championship (they are three points ahead of Liverpool), it would allow Sporting Lisbon to directly reach the group stage of the Champions League. This would free up a spot among the top seeds of the third qualifying round, with Lyon taking the first seed spot left vacant by the Portuguese club.
This means that Lyon would be the highest-ranked team among the 8 teams involved in the third round, ahead of Bodo Glimt (Norway), Olympiacos (Greece), and Fenerbahçe (Turkey) now in fourth place.
The potential opponents for these four top seeds will be: Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium), Sparta Prague (Czech Republic), NEC Nijmegen (Netherlands), Sturm Graz (Austria), Hearts of Midlothian (Scotland), and the runners-up of the Polish championship (the club name will be known on the evening of May 23).
If Lyon make it through the third qualifying round (matches on August 4 and 11), they will not face the second seed, which would be Bodo Glimt.
The final verdict will come at the end of the final day of the English championship…
Context: Lyon’s seeding position in the Champions League qualifiers is impacted by Aston Villa’s Europa League victory and Sporting Lisbon’s potential qualification. Fact Check: Lyon could become the top-seeded team for the Champions League qualifiers if certain conditions are met.
