Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
Current Table
These early results have significant impact on the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and are back in the safety of playoff places.
| Rank | Side | P | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the win and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a chance through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
Aston Villa, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with visiting fans clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and toward the field, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: John Victor, Abbott, The center-back, The defender, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, The winger, The striker.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: The German referee (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Match Background
The European clash and memories of 1979. The these sides have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," noted the journalist. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to continental competition in just three years."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the middle of the group stage with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
