Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League News
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Team news: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
Current Table
These early results greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and regained position in the secure qualification spots.
| Position | Team | Played | Goal Difference | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 three points and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the group rankings. Villa had difficulty of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, concurrently, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's second goal there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans confronting police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Referee: The German referee (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Match Background
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides have a unique relationship, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," wrote the match reporter. This represented an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to continental competition in three seasons."
One should note to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction 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 last place of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a playoff spot.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
