Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – Europa League News
Live Updates
Key Events
- Final whistle: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: 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
The opening scores greatly affect the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and regained position in the protected qualification spots.
| Pos | Club | Played | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the win and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the away end, with Swiss fans confronting police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the officers and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: Harm Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
The European clash and past encounters. The these sides have a special connection, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final decades past that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing Francis heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the red half of Nottingham.
"The legendary management duo, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to European stage in a short period."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
This match 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 absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early 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 beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the midpoint of the initial phase with exactly zero. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.