Gary Neville must mastermind Champions League progress in first Valencia match, Cristiano Ronaldo reunion also soon

A look at what lies in store following Neville's appointment at the Spanish club

Gary Neville (GETTY IMAGES)

Gary Neville has an opportunity to make a swift impact following his appointment as manager of La Liga side Valencia.

He will officially take up the role on Sunday, the day after the club host league leaders Barcelona. With Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar ripping apart defences at will, Neville may feel relieved not to have been dropped in at the deep end on Saturday.

It means his first fixture in charge is against Lyon in the Champions League, a game that could see Valencia progress through to the knock-out stage of the competition.

Valencia are currently third in Group H, one point behind Gent. Should Gent lose to group leaders Zenit, a draw will be enough for Valencia to advance. Meanwhile if Gent draw, Valencia must win, whilst a victory for Gent makes progress impossible for Neville's new side. A positive outcome on Wednesday would quickly endear the Manchester United legend to the fans of his new club.

Neville will then turn his attention to La Liga, in which Valencia are currently ninth. The club's target for the season will be to qualify for Europe, meaning they must rise to fourth in order to enter the Champions League or sixth to be in next term's Europa League. Both targets appear achievable, with the club five points off fourth and just two from sixth.

Before the year is out, Valencia play three La Liga games after the game with Barcelona this weekend; two of them could be crucial with the opponents among their rivals for the European places. An away game against Eibar, who are a point ahead of Valencia, kicks things off.

Neville will then make his home debut in the league, taking on Getafe, who currently occupy 13th place in the table.

Then on New Year's Eve, a match against sixth placed Villarreal awaits.

The stand-out matches of every La Liga side's season are those against Real Madrid and Barcelona. Neville won't have to wait long, with Valencia hosting Real Madrid on the first weekend of January. The match will see Neville come up against former team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo. They play Rafael Benitez's side again, at the Bernabeu, in the penultimate game of the season.

The remaining game against Barcelona, at the Nou Camp, is on April 17.