Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Introduction
Current Table
The initial outcomes strongly influence the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and are back in the secure playoff places.
| Position | Team | P | 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
The English side clung on for the victory and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. Villa had difficulty of that in the final stages.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, concurrently, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the away end, with Young Boys supporters clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the authorities and toward the field, with the player being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides have a historical link, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship 46 years ago that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing the English forward scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," commented the writer. Theirs has been an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to continental competition in three seasons."
One should note to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to reach the final under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the league phase with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
