Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers vs Braga, and Additional – Europa League News
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
Current Table
The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic climbed to 17th place and returned to the protected playoff places.
| Position | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the three points and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. Villa had difficulty of that in the final stages.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but were left with additional time to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around 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 authorities and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, Yates, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: The German referee (from Germany)
Starting Players
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Aarons, The midfielder, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Match Background
The European clash and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final decades past that connects these teams, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," noted the journalist. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment 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 initial and final Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the midpoint of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
