The summer preparation of Olympique Lyonnais is expected with a series of friendly preparatory games. The calendar begins on July 19 with a match against FC Villefranche Beaujolais in Décines, followed on July 23 by a home game against Molenbeek. The team will then travel to Germany on 26 July to face Hamburg, before going to Austria for a training course. This internship will include a match against Majorca’s RC Deportivo on July 30th. This period is crucial for OL, as it comes after avoiding administrative relegation in Ligue 2, but the team’s future for the 2025-2026 season remains uncertain. The team’s competitiveness during the recovery of Ligue 1, scheduled for 17 August, has yet to be confirmed.

Historically, Olympique Lyonnais has always won its friendly pre-season games. This tradition dates back to 2019, with a 2-1 win over the FC Servette, where Martin Terrier scored the only Lyon goal. The following years confirmed this trend, with notable victories against FC Bourg-Peronnas (5-1 in 2021), again against Bourg-Peronnas (4-2 in 2022), and against De Treffers (2-1 in 2023). More recently, OL defeated the Chassieu-Décines FC in 2024 with goals from Lepenant, Molebec, Orban, Baldé and Perret.

On 19 July, OL will face FC Villefranche Beaujolais, a team they had already met on 17 July 2021, winning the 2-0 match thanks to the goals of Slimani and Diomandé. This new meeting represents an opportunity for OL to continue its tradition of pre-season victories and to test its preparation before the start of the Ligue 1 season. The result of this match will be an important indicator of the current form of the team and its ability to approach the upcoming season with confidence.