Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League News
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
League Position
These early results greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and regained position in the secure qualification spots.
| Rank | Side | Matches | Goal 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the victory and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The English side made hard work of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, Hatate and Nygren.
Latest Action
Aston Villa, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the visitors' section, with visiting fans clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with the player being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Forest: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, The striker.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Referee: Lindhout (Holland)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the mafficking," commented the writer. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to European stage in just three years."
One should note to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
This match is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the half-way stage of the group stage with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a playoff spot.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.