Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – 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)
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
Latest Standings
These early results strongly influence the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and are back in the safety of qualification spots.
| Position | Club | Matches | Goal 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
Villa managed to hold on for the win and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The English side made hard work of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
Villa, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a throwable object.
Starting XI Revealed
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: The German referee (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Referee: Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The two clubs have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship decades past that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European stage in just three years."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
This match is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. Rangers have already been defeated by a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the middle of the group stage with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a qualification place.
We'll keep you up to date with all the late games and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
