Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League News
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Important Updates
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- GOAL!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Match concluded: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Team news: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Preamble
Latest Standings
These early results have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th place and regained position in the secure knockout positions.
| Position | Team | Matches | GD | 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 victory and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The Birmingham club made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to get the tying goal!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Match Updates
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at their home ground.
Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Punches were thrown and objects thrown at both the officers and toward the field, with the player being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
The Reds: John Victor, The defender, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: Harm Osmers (from Germany)
Lineups: Rangers vs Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.
Match official: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Preamble
Nottingham Forest v Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis heading the only goal of a pretty miserable final to clinch eternal glory for the the English club.
"The legendary management duo, unassuming and low-key amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to continental competition in a short period."
It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
Tonight's game is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the midpoint of the league phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including Villa vs Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
