On Tuesday evening, Gary Neville will become only the fifth Englishman to manage in the Champions League group stage when he leads Valencia out in their bout against Olympique Lyonnais.
Heading into the final match of the pool, the Spanish giants are in grave danger of dropping out of Europe’s elite club competition.
After five games, Zenit St. Petersburg preserve a 100 percent record in Group H, and sit atop the four-team standings on 15 points.
Surprise-package Gent are second on seven points, with Valencia one behind them on six. Lyon, who have endured a miserable campaign, are bottom of the pool on one point.
It won’t be easy for Neville, who must, in his first-ever match as a manager, defeat Lyon and hope that Gent fail to beat Zenit, who have nothing to play for as group leaders according to the Telegraph.
This evening, Neville will become only the fifth Englishman to manage a side in the group stage of the competition, as per Sky Sports.
Harry Redknapp took Tottenham Hotspur to the quarter-finals in the 2010/11 season, topping a group containing reigning champions Inter Milan, Werder Bremen and FC Twente.
The others to achieve the feat are Ray Harford (Blackburn Rovers in 1995), Sir Bobby Robson (Newcastle United in 2002-03).
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The fourth Englishman is Phil Thompson, who replaced Gerard Houllier temporarily as caretaker manager in 2001 following the French coach’s heart problems.
Thompson won three European Cups with the Reds, and helped guide the Merseyside giants to a series of memorable results in Houllier’s absence.