Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
The opening scores greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th place and regained position in the safety of playoff places.
| Position | Side | Played | 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 win and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. Villa had difficulty of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the officers and at the playing surface, with the player being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Preamble
The European clash and past encounters. The these sides have a special connection, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," commented the writer. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to European football in just three years."
It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent 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 chance of achieving a comeback for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
