Despite being 11 points better off than at this stage last season, Lyon appear to be the outside bet for a top 4 finish in Ligue 1 this year.
Olympique Lyon reportedly carry €505m in debt and need to raise €100m to overcome their deficit to avoid a certain relegation to Ligue 2 by the DNCG.
Odds courtesy of Bet9ja. Correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
Olympique Lyon’s financial struggles are apparent. With debts exceeding €500m, the National Directorate of Management Control (DNCG) has issued Lyon with a provisional relegation to Ligue 2 unless they can bridge a €100m deficit by the end of the season.
The club’s owner, John Textor, is adamant that relegation won’t happen. He is trying to sell his stake in the English Premier League side, Crystal Palace, to fund the deficit. However, this deal is still far from complete, leaving Lyon reliant on the financial boost that Champions League qualification brings next season.
Reaching the league phase of the UEFA Champions League reportedly guarantees €18.62m in prize money, €17.87m of which is paid upfront. This would be a welcome boost for Lyon, but even Champions League qualification is far from certain.
Only the top three in Ligue 1 secure direct qualification, with the fourth-placed side having to enter the final qualifying round. Lyon currently sit in sixth place, four points shy of third-placed Nice.
Why Champions League Qualification Feels Unlikely for 2025/26
The news of Lyon’s provisional relegation emerged in late November. Since then, Lyon have won only five of their 11 Ligue 1 games.
Their form in 2025 has been progressively worse. They have picked up just eight points from their last six league games. A points per game average of just 1.6 over the last six matches won’t be sufficient to catch up with the likes of Nice and Monaco, who are both currently averaging 1.82 points per game.
Although Lyon have won their last two Ligue 1 games in emphatic fashion, they entertain rampant league leaders PSG this weekend. They were soundly beaten 3-1 at the Parc des Princes in December, and Les Parisiens are becoming even more prolific as the season progresses.
There are fine margins between finishing in the top 4 and outside of it. Lyon have led for just 30% of the minutes they have played so far this season. Compare that with Nice (43%) and Marseille (39%) and Monaco (31%), and it’s clear to see the teams above Lyon take more initiative in games.
They have also scored four fewer goals than Nice and Monaco and ten fewer than Marseille.
After the PSG game, Lyon have plenty of six-pointers on the horizon. They travel to Nice and seventh-placed Strasbourg next month. They’ll do so without their talismanic forward, Alexandre Lacazette, who is currently nursing a knee injury.
Lyon then host fifth-placed Lille in early April. Their penultimate game of the season is a trip to fourth-placed Monaco.
Lyon boss, Pierre Sage, hopes his side can keep their top-four hopes alive until the trip to the Stade Louis II, which could be a winner-takes-all showdown for UCL qualification.