Valencia vs Lyon. UEFA Champions League Group H.
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Wednesday 9 December 2015 19:51, UK
Gary Neville has been handed the chance to become an instant Valencia hero when his side take on crisis-hit Lyon in a must-win Champions League Group H game on Wednesday evening.
The Spaniards need to beat their French opponents at the Mestalla and hope that Belgian champions Gent don't beat the already qualified Zenit St Petersburg to stand any chance of overhauling the Belgian outfit for second place and a spot in the last 16 of Europe's elite club competition for the first time in three years.
The match will be former England and Manchester United right-back Neville's first as a head coach after he was surprisingly hired by business partner and Valencia owner Peter Lim until the end of the season despite his lack of managerial experience.
Neville watched on from the stands as Los Che salvaged a point against reigning Champions League holders Barcelona on Saturday, despite being ravaged by injuries and suspensions, thanks to Santi Mina's stunning late equaliser which lifted them into eighth-spot by the end of the weekend.
Gary's brother Phil Neville was part of the caretaker coaching staff against Barca and will continue as assistant having joined the club under Neville's predecessor Nuno Espirito Santo at the start of the season.
"I've only known one way in football which is to expect to win every match," said Neville on his unveiling at the Mestalla. "You can't always do that but that is what you should expect, it's what I expect and what a club of this size expects and the fans too.
"Everything that I do, I do with the aspirations to do the absolute best, it's the way I've approached everything I've done and this will be no different.
"Valencia will get every ounce of enthusiasm I can give. Hopefully that can lead to success. I'm aware of the expectation and I know that if I fall below it I won't be here."
Morale among the Valencia camp should be boosted by the return of a number of key players.
Former Manchester City striker Alvaro Negredo could return for the first time since early October after he was discarded by Nuno after a fall-out between the two before undergoing surgery for appendicitis last month.
Germany's World Cup winner Shkodran Mustafi and Javi Fuego are also expected to return from injury, while right-back Joao Cancelo returns from suspension.
"We are full of excitement and desire to get things going with him," full-back Jose Luis Gaya told a post-training news conference. "The past is past and a new era is beginning."
Bottom side Lyon will be determined to stop the rot having crashed to a fourth defeat in five outings after going down 2-0 to Angers in Ligue 1 in the last-ever league game at the Stade Gerland at the weekend, prompting midfielder Mathieu Valbuena to label recent performances "catastrophic".
They are already eliminated from all European competitions after taking just one point from their opening five group games.
Moreover, the French side are hampered by injuries to several key players.
Nabil Fekir, Gueida Fofana, Aldo Kalulu and Christophe Jallet are all long-term absentees, while Jordan Ferri is suspended.
This will be the fourth time these two teams have played each other in the Champions League; all of the previous meetings have been won by Valencia.
Only once in 10 Champions League matches away at Spanish opposition have Lyon managed to claim victory (D3 L6).
Valencia have lost back-to-back matches in this competition, they haven't lost three in a row since November 2007.
Valencia have won only one of their last four Champions League games at home (D1 L2), that was in their last outing at Mestalla (2-1 v Gent).
Valencia have to win and hope Gent fail to win their game in order to claim a place in the Last 16.
Lyon are the only team, along with Astana and Maccabi Tel Aviv, to still be winless in the Champions League group stages this season.
Lyon have lost their last four Champions League games, their worst ever run in the competition.
Watch Gary Neville take charge of Valencia in La Liga for the first time on Sunday when they travel to Eibar, live on Sky Sports 4 HD from 2.55pm.
