Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – Europa League News
Live Feed
Important Updates
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
League Position
The initial outcomes strongly influence the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and returned to the secure knockout positions.
| Pos | Team | P | Goal Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the victory and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The English side had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
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 memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the police and toward the field, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Osmers (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Francis scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the red half of Nottingham.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to continental competition in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the initial phase with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.