Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – Europa League Updates
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Important Updates
- Full-time: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Opening notes
League Position
These early results strongly influence the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to the 17th spot and are back in the secure playoff places.
| Pos | Club | Played | 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
The English side clung on for the three points and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. Villa had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys earned a hope through Monteiro but only have four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Benjamin Nygren.
Match Updates
Villa, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Scuffles broke out and projectiles hurled at both the police and toward the field, with the player being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, The full-back, The midfielder, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, The winger, The striker.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, The striker.
Referee: Harm Osmers (Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Netherlands)
Historical Context
The European clash and historical connections. 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 European Cup final 46 years ago that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Forest's famous bosses, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to European football in a short period."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
Tonight's game is a distant from that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at Anfield 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 match tracking. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the middle of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
