Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Starting XI: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
The initial outcomes strongly influence the competition standings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and returned to the secure qualification spots.
| Rank | Club | P | Difference | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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
Aston Villa secured for the win and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. The English side struggled of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
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 memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
Aston Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (German)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a unique relationship, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final decades past that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," wrote the match reporter. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to continental competition in three seasons."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the league phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a knockout position.
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.
