Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – UEFA Europa League News
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
League Position
The opening scores have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and regained position in the secure playoff places.
| Rank | Team | Played | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Aston Villa secured for the three points and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. The English side struggled of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to find an equaliser!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A famous and valuable win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
Aston Villa, at the same time, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans confronting police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the officers and toward the field, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, Busanello.
Referee: The German referee (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Moutinho, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
The European clash and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing Francis scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," commented the writer. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to continental competition in a short period."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the group stage with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the most recent results from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.