Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League News
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
The initial outcomes greatly affect the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and regained position in the safety of playoff places.
| Position | Club | 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
Villa managed to hold on for the victory and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club struggled of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but were left with additional time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with visiting fans engaging with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the police and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Match official: Harm Osmers (German)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing the English forward heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European stage in a short period."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to reach the final under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly 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.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the previous games, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
