Forest vs Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Goal scored!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Game over: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
Latest Standings
These early results greatly affect the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and returned to the safety of playoff places.
| Position | Side | P | Goal 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
The English side clung on for the three points and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a lifeline through Monteiro but only have additional time to find an equaliser!
Celtic Secure Victory
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Aston Villa, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the police and toward the field, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, Dominguez, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
The Swedish side: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, The striker.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, The attacker, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The two clubs have a historical link, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to continental competition in a short period."
Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to reach the final under British coach Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. Rangers have already been lost to a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the group stage with exactly zero. They urgently require 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 most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
