Forest vs Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – Europa League News
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Final whistle: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Opening notes
League Position
The initial outcomes strongly influence the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and regained position in the protected playoff places.
| Rank | Club | Played | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak 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 gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Latest Action
Aston Villa, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there caused dramatic events in the away end, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Punches were thrown 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
The Reds: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, The midfielder, The attacker, Navarro, The striker.
Official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final decades past that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to secure historic victory 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 quietly watching the revelry," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to European football in a short period."
Worth mentioning to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to make the championship match under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield 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 beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the initial phase with exactly zero. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
