Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Current Table
The opening scores strongly influence the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and regained position in the protected qualification spots.
| Pos | Club | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Aston Villa secured for the victory and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
The Swiss side created a chance through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and past encounters. The these sides have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final decades past that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," commented the writer. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European football in three seasons."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
This match is a distant from that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
