Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League News
Live Updates
Key Events
- Final whistle: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
These early results have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and are back in the safety of playoff places.
| Pos | Club | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Villa managed to hold on for the victory and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The English side struggled of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a hope through Monteiro but had just additional time to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans confronting police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: John Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, The full-back, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, The center-back, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: The German referee (Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, The midfielder, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and past encounters. The these sides have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to claim legendary status for the red half of Nottingham.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an outstanding achievement 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 first, and to date the last Nordic team to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
This match is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 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 clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the middle of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
