Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Key Events
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Current Table
The opening scores strongly influence the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and are back in the secure qualification spots.
| Rank | Club | Matches | Difference | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. Villa had difficulty of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with visiting fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the police and toward the field, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, The center-back, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Harm Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship 46 years ago that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European stage in just three years."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to reach the final under English manager Bob 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 the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the midpoint of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
