Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League News
Live Updates
Key Events
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
League Position
These early results greatly affect the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and regained position in the safety of playoff places.
| Rank | Club | Matches | Difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
The English side clung on for the three points and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. The English side made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but had just additional time to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at their home ground.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with visiting fans engaging with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the police and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: Victor, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Historical Context
The European clash and past encounters. The these sides have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing the English forward netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the mafficking," noted the journalist. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to European stage in just three years."
One should note to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 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 clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the midpoint of the league phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a playoff spot.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
