Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League News
Live Updates
Key Events
- Final whistle: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
League Position
These early results have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and regained position in the secure qualification spots.
| Rank | Side | P | Goal Difference | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midtjylland | 5 | 7 | 12 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 5 | 5 | 12 |
| 3 | Freiburg | 5 | 5 | 11 |
| 4 | Ferencvaros | 5 | 4 | 11 |
| 5 | FC Porto | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| 17 | Celtic | 5 | -1 | 7 |
| 25 | Nottm Forest | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 35 | Rangers | 4 | -7 | 0 |
| 33 | Malmo FF | 4 | -5 | 1 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the three points and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. Villa struggled of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with additional time to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with visiting fans clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the player being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Official: Osmers (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: Lindhout (Holland)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship decades past that links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European stage in a short period."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
This match is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a qualification place.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
