The Portuguese can expect a hostile reception in Valencia, who had to suffer 15 of his goals for Real Madrid and are returning to the Champions League for the first time in three years.
Real Madrid lifted the FIFA Club World Cup for a record fourth time on Saturday after thrashing local side Al Ain 4-1 in the final in Abu Dhabi with the help of impressive distance strikes in either half from midfielders Luka Modric and Marcos Llorente.
Juventus made light work of bitter rivals Inter Milan on Sunday, winning 3-1 to increase their Serie A lead to nine points after AS Roma were washed out and Napoli blundered to a 3-0 defeat at Atalanta.
With Liverpool still to visit Chelsea, who trail them by nine points with two games in hand, Juergen Klopp's side may have to beat Brighton & Hove Albion on May 13 and rely on their superior goal difference to qualify for the Champions League, assuming they do not secure it by winning this year's trophy.
Antonio Conte's return to Italian football on Tuesday proved such a chastening experience as he watched his Chelsea side dismantled by AS Roma in the Champions League that he worries they could be set for a "very difficult" season.
IMAGES from football matches played across Europe on Sunday.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Images from football matches played in Europe on Sunday.
Rediff.com brings you some of the highlights from the sporting events held last week...
Frenchman Griezmann has a 100 million euro ($119 million) release clause in his contract and Spanish media reported that Barcelona are ready to pay it.
Middlesbrough beat AS Roma to reach the UEFA Cup quarterfinals for the first time
Manchester United took a big step towards the Europa League quarter-finals by thrashing Austrian side LASK Linz 5-0 on Thursday in their last 16 first-leg tie at an empty Linzer Stadium due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Italy striker Antonio Cassano is joining Real Madrid on a four and a half-year deal from Serie A club AS Roma.
Napoli could become the first team in Champions League history to qualify from their group after only three games on Wednesday, providing welcome relief from their recent troubles.
Ahead of World Book Day, Mumbai-based banker and blogger Roma Dhamija picks her favourite books.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Egypt are hopeful Mohamed Salah will be available for the start of their World Cup campaign in Russia but the team must find a way to avoid depending too much on the striker, coach Hector Cuper has said.
The 25-year-old winger is desperate to play for Egypt in only their third World Cup and their first for 38 years.
Atletico Madrid got their La Liga campaign up and running in less than convincing fashion when Antoine Griezmann's deflected free kick secured an edgy 1-0 win at home to promoted Las Palmas on Saturday.
Carlos Tevez scored two early goals for Juventus before the Serie A leaders squandered the lead in a 2-2 draw at Verona on Sunday.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp says his team can compensate for their lack of Champions League final experience by showing greater desire and work-rate than Real Madrid in Saturday's clash in Kiev.
Argentine Hernan Crespo struck again as AC Milan won 2-0 at Roma on Sunday to keep level at the top of Serie A with Juventus.
Belgian league leaders Antwerp secured a shock 1-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur and AC Milan extended their unbeaten run to 23 games as they won 3-0 against Sparta Prague in the Europa League on Thursday, while Arsenal cruised to a 3-0 win over Dundalk.
Says Real Madrid weaker without the Portuguese
Liverpool boss Juergen Klopp has said his team will be 'on fire' for the Champions League final
Liverpool's Egyptian forward Mohamed Salah has been voted Player of the Year by the Football Writers' Association (FWA) to complete the double of English soccer's major individual awards.
Barcelona right back Dani Alves has completed his move to Italian champions Juventus on a two-year contract, the Turin-based club said on Monday. The 33-year-old Brazilian had earlier announced he would leave Barca as a free agent after eight successful seasons, during which he won 23 titles.
European champions Real Madrid will face former champions Liverpool, FC Basel and debutants Ludogorets of Bulgaria following the draw for the group stage of the Champions league on Thursday.
Rediff.com brings you a roundup of soccer matches played across Europe over the weekend.
Barcelona lost ground on La Liga leaders Real Madrid when their 11-match winning streak was snapped by Malaga, while Premier League pacesetters Chelsea dropped points at home to Burnley. Bayern Munich enjoyed a second-successive goalrush in the Bundesliga after routing Paderborn 6-0 while AS Roma lost ground to Serie A leaders Juventus after yet another draw. This and more from the happenings in the world of football over the weekend.
For the first time the Best Player award had been shared in its seven-year history.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Barcelona will be missing the lethal touch of Neymar in attack for the UEFA Super Cup against Sevilla.
Here is a quick round-up of the players who starred for their teams on the action-packed soccer weekend around Europe.
A summary of Wednesday's matches in the UEFA Champions League.
Inter Milan moved into the Italian Cup quarter-finals with a 2-0 victory over second-tier Verona on Tuesday.
'Her only 'crime' was being a woman in a country where women face discrimination that is entrenched in law and plays out in the most horrific ways imaginable in every area of their lives, even sports'
