Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Match Coverage
Major Moments
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: 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
- Preamble
Current Table
These early results have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and are back in the protected knockout positions.
| Pos | Side | Matches | 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
Villa managed to hold on for the win and moved level on points with leaders Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. The Birmingham club 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!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with visiting fans clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and objects thrown at both the officers and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Starting XI Revealed
Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, The defender, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Harm Osmers (German)
Starting Players
Rangers: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, The striker.
Official: Lindhout (Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final decades past that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an outstanding achievement that it is hard to see being repeated – from Second Division to European stage in three seasons."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
This match is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side 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 group stage with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
