Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
Current Table
The initial outcomes greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and returned to the safety of qualification spots.
| Rank | Side | Matches | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the three points and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. Villa made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Referee: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The both teams have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship decades past that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to continental competition in just three years."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. Rangers have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a qualification place.
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 Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
