Olomouc vs Lausanne – News and Probable Lineups

This Thursday night marks the return of the UEFA Europa Conference League, featuring eight captivating knockout phase playoff ties, with a particularly exciting match in the Czech Republic as Sigma Olomouc takes on Swiss side Lausanne Sport.

The home team heads into this European clash following consecutive defeats in their league matches, while their opponents will aim to end a six-match streak without a win.

Match overview

Sigma Olomouc might consider themselves lucky to have advanced to this stage of the competition after finishing the league phase with back-to-back losses to Lincoln Red Imps from Gibraltar and Lech Poznan from Poland.

With seven points accumulated from six matches, Olomouc barely made it into the knockout stage, finding themselves in 24th position in the standings.

The Czech side will be eager to present a strong performance in this first leg, although that may prove challenging considering their current form.

They have suffered seven defeats in their last eight competitive outings, including their most recent domestic matches against Banik Ostrava and Viktoria Plzen.

On a brighter note, Sigma has lost only four competitive home games this season, a statistic that may provide some confidence ahead of a tough showdown.

While Sigma was fortunate to reach the top 24, Lausanne Sport faced disappointment by narrowly missing out on an automatic place in the round of 16.

The club ended their league phase campaign in ninth place, just one point shy of the top eight, despite securing a victory over Fiorentina on the final matchday.

Another source of frustration for head coach Peter Zeidler and his squad has been their uneven form – a winless streak spanning six matches.

The Blue and Whites have not enjoyed a victory since mid-January, with their latest match resulting in an exhilarating 3-3 draw against Servette, who is struggling in the Swiss Super League.

With only two away wins from their last 11 matches outside their home ground, Lausanne’s priority this Thursday night will be to secure a favorable outcome to take into the second leg.

Sigma Olomouc Conference League form:

L D W W L L

Sigma Olomouc form (all competitions):

L L L W L L

Lausanne Sport Conference League form:

W W D L D W

Lausanne Sport form (all competition):

W D L D L D

Team News

Sigma will head into Thursday’s match without Ugandan forward John Dembe, who has yet to make his debut for the club due to a knee injury sustained during his winter transfer.

Midfielder Artur Dolznikov did partake in several friendly matches during the winter break, but he has been sidelined with an injury since competitive play resumed. He will remain unavailable.

Yunusa Muritala has been out for the entire season due to a knee issue, while David Tkac is also currently sidelined.

On the flip side, Lausanne will be without defender Hamza Abdallah because of a knee injury.

Canadian forward Theo Bair is facing a similar problem, and Swiss midfielder Souleymane N’Diaye is dealing with a shoulder issue.

Sigma Olomouc probable starting XI:

Koutny; Elbel, Lurvink, Sylla, Hadas; Barath, Beran; Sturm, Sip, Ghali; Rusek

Lausanne Sport probable starting XI:

Letica; Poaty, Sow, Mouanga, Bergvall; Beloko, Roche, Custodio; Lekoueiry; Butler-Oyedeji, Traore

Both teams come into Thursday’s fixture following poor domestic performances, leading us to expect a cautious opening leg.

Sigma’s home record is fairly strong, and while Lausanne may be statistically the superior team, we believe the hosts could manage to earn a draw.