Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Preamble
League Position
These early results greatly affect the league rankings. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and regained position in the secure qualification spots.
| Rank | Club | 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 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the win and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the top of the competition table. The Birmingham club struggled 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 score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Game Developments
The Birmingham side, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the visitors' section, with Young Boys supporters engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, The defender, The full-back, The midfielder, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.
Match official: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
Rangers: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Referee: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and past encounters. The these sides have a historical link, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player the English forward netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status 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 quietly watching the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from Second Division to European football in just three years."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at the famous ground on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the competition table at the midpoint of the league phase with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a late surge for a playoff spot.
We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the previous games, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Feyenoord v Celtic.
