Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League News
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
Current Table
The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and returned to the secure knockout positions.
| Rank | Team | Played | Goal 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the victory and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. The English side had difficulty of that in the final stages.
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 significant and important win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and Nygren.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with visiting fans engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and objects thrown at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: The goalkeeper, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The winger, The striker.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Match official: Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to continental competition in three seasons."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to reach the final under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the midpoint of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the current standings from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
