Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League News
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
League Position
The opening scores strongly influence the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and regained position in the secure playoff places.
| Rank | Side | P | Goal 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the win and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the group rankings. The English side had difficulty of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but only have additional time to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, concurrently, retained 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 opposition stands, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the officers and toward the field, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: Harm Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Match official: Lindhout (Holland)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European football in just three years."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since last month following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the league phase with exactly zero. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a knockout position.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
