Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Major Moments
- Final whistle: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
League Position
These early results have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and are back in the safety of knockout positions.
| Rank | Side | 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 |
Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1
Villa managed to hold on for the victory and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. The English side struggled of that at the end.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but only have additional time to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and toward the field, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, The center-back, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Referee: Osmers (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: The goalkeeper, Gomez, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Referee: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
The European clash and past encounters. The two clubs have a historical link, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward netting the decisive goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the the English club.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to continental competition in just three years."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are absolutely buzzing after thrashing Liverpool at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the half-way stage of the league phase with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a comeback for a qualification place.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the previous games, including Villa vs Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
