Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
Current Table
The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and are back in the secure knockout positions.
| Rank | Side | P | GD | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the victory and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the authorities and toward the field, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Osmers (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Official: Lindhout (Holland)
Preamble
The European clash and memories of 1979. The these sides have a unique relationship, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final 46 years ago that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," noted the journalist. This represented an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to continental competition in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the league phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a playoff spot.
We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
