Pavel Šulc to miss Conference League clash with Sparta Prague due to knee injury

Lyon forward Pavel Šulc will not feature against Sparta Prague in their upcoming Conference League fixture, after being left out of the squad due to knee inflammation.

The 25-year-old, who featured at this year's World Cup, has managed just one appearance for Lyon so far this autumn — 20 minutes off the bench against Servette of Geneva. Since then, he has missed three further matches through injury.

Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca, already in Prague ahead of the game, gave an update on the player's condition: "Pavel is currently injured — he has inflammation in his knee. He came back to us quite late after the World Cup and wasn't in his best physical shape. He himself really wanted to play in Prague, but unfortunately that's not possible," the Portuguese coach said.

Beyond the injury, Šulc's future is also the subject of intense transfer speculation. The French club, currently facing financial difficulties, could look to sell the Czech international to balance its books. According to reports, Leeds United are among the clubs interested, reportedly ready to offer around €25 million. Fonseca confirmed that interest extends well beyond one suitor: "There are options out there. We really value him here — he had an excellent season last year. I can't say right now whether he'll leave or not. Pavel's value is very high, and every club in Europe will be keeping a close eye on him," the coach added.

Meanwhile, Lyon have already strengthened their attack by taking Belgian forward Loïs Openda on a season-long loan from Juventus for €3.5 million — a move expected to give the French side their main attacking threat against the Prague side.

Around Prague, based on reporting by sport.cz