Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – Europa League Updates
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
The opening scores greatly affect the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and are back in the protected playoff places.
| Position | Team | Played | Difference | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The English side struggled of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with stoppage time to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with visiting fans engaging with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the officers and toward the field, with the player being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: The German referee (Germany)
Starting Players
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, The striker.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and past encounters. The both teams have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the premier competition final decades past that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Francis netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key 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 outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to European stage in a short period."
Worth mentioning to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the half-way stage of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the most recent results from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
