Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League Updates
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
League Position
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and regained position in the secure knockout positions.
| Pos | Side | Matches | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
The English side clung on for the victory and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but had just additional time to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the officers and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, The defender, The full-back, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European football in a short period."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the half-way stage of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
