Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
Current Table
The initial outcomes strongly influence the league rankings. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and regained position in the safety of qualification spots.
| Rank | 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 three points and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. The Birmingham club struggled of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with additional time to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the police and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Harm Osmers (German)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Preamble
The European clash and past encounters. The these sides have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing Francis heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to continental competition in a short period."
Worth mentioning to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to reach the final under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a distant from that peak, 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 Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They badly want 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 earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.