Gary Neville takes charge of Valencia for the first time in a mighty important Champions League game as the La Liga side host Lyon at the Mestalla on Wednesday.

Neville was handed his first ever head coaching assignment last week, with the Englishman watching from the stands at the weekend as Valencia held Barcelona to a draw in La Liga.

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The former Manchester United defender will hope his first match in the dugout is one that garners all three points.

"I spoke with the players on Monday morning for about 15 to 20 minutes. I explained to them that every single player has an opportunity to play -- I don't treat any of them differently," Neville said. 'There is a fascination now with the style of play – possession and counterattack – but can't we play both? I believe in both. I want Mestalla to be a horrible place for all other teams."

It is easy to talk the talk, of course, but walk the walk as well Valencia must, because only a win will keep their hopes of qualifying for the last 16 of the Champions league alive.

Zenit St. Petersburg are already through to the knockout stages as Group H winners, with Gent currently in second on seven points, one ahead of Valencia. So, if Gent beat Zenit at the same time on Wednesday, it will not matter what Valencia do against Lyon, who are already eliminated from Europe.

Neville must hope that Zenit keep their 100% record intact, or, at the very least, stay unbeaten in the group stages to keep Valencia in the running for a place in the round of 16 of the Champions League.

Lyon have nothing to lose, considering they are already out of contention, and manager Hubert Fournier promised his team will give it their all to make it as difficult as possible for Valencia.

"I expect to see a different Valencia side than the one who played against Barcelona on Saturday," Fournier said. "I will be a minor challenge for them, but if they want to progress to the next round they have to be able to do face that challenge.

"We have been stuck in a negative spiral so every game is an opportunity to improve our situation and show the face of a team that is aware of their situation. A game against a team who just managed to get a draw against Barcelona is a good opportunity for us to show a different face than we have shown lately."

Where to Watch Live

Valencia vs Lyon is scheduled for an 8.45 pm local time (1.15 am IST, 7.45 pm GMT, 2.45 pm ET) start.

India: TV: No live coverage. Live Streaming: Ten Sports Live.

Thailand, Indonesia, Spain, France, Canada, Middle East, North Africa, Australia: TV: Bein Sports. Live Stream: Bein Sports Connect.

UK: BT Sport Xtra. Live Streaming: Watch BT Sport.

USA: TV: Fox Sports 2. Live Stream: FoxSoccer2Go.