Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League News
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Important Updates
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Score!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
Current Table
The opening scores have significant impact on the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th place and returned to the protected knockout positions.
| Pos | Club | Played | GD | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the victory and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club struggled of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a hope through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, Hatate and Nygren.
Latest Action
Aston Villa, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, The center-back, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Match official: Harm Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
The European clash and memories of 1979. The both teams have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the continental championship decades past that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," wrote the match reporter. This represented an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European stage in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The general expectation is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge 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 earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
