Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
League Position
These early results strongly influence the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and regained position in the protected qualification spots.
| Position | Team | Played | 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 front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. Villa had difficulty of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but had just additional time to get the tying goal!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
Villa, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with visiting fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Osmers (German)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Referee: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and past encounters. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the red half of Nottingham.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to European stage in three seasons."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to make the championship match under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the league phase with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a playoff spot.
We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
