Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League Coverage
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Key Events
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Starting XI: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
League Position
These early results strongly influence the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and returned to the safety of qualification spots.
| Rank | Team | Played | Goal 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the three points and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The Birmingham club struggled of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans confronting police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the officers and at the playing surface, with the player being hit on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: Victor, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Match official: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Preamble
The European clash and memories of 1979. The both teams have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship decades past that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to continental competition in a short period."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Scandinavian side to reach the final under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the midpoint of the group stage with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
