Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League Updates
Live Feed
Major Moments
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
League Position
These early results greatly affect the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and returned to the protected knockout positions.
| Pos | Side | Played | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the victory and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a hope through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with visiting fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Harm Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: Butland, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The these sides have a historical link, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," noted the journalist. This represented an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European football in just three years."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to reach the final under manager Houghton.
This match is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the midpoint of the initial phase with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
