Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
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Important Updates
- Final whistle: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Forest and Malmö lineups
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
Current Table
The opening scores strongly influence the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and are back in the protected qualification spots.
| Position | Side | Matches | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the victory and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. Villa had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, Reo Hatate and Nygren.
Match Updates
Aston Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with visiting fans clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the police and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, The winger, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, The midfielder, Skogmar, The attacker, The forward, The striker.
Official: The German referee (Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The these sides have a historical link, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward scoring the winner of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league to European football in just three years."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.
This match is a distant from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a comeback for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
