Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League News
Live Updates
Important Updates
- Match ended: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- GOAL!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
- Starting XI: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Team news: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
League Position
The initial outcomes have significant impact on the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th position and returned to the secure playoff places.
| Rank | Side | Matches | GD | 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
Villa managed to hold on for the win and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the group rankings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that during the closing minutes.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but had just stoppage time to score the leveler!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A memorable and crucial win for the Scottish team. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
Aston Villa, concurrently, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with visiting fans confronting police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the police and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being caught on the head by a throwable object.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.
Malmö: Ellborg, Larsen, The center-back, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, The striker.
Official: Osmers (Germany)
Starting Players
The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, The forward, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, The attacker, The forward, Horta.
Match official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer the English forward heading the only goal of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," commented the writer. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European stage in a short period."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to advance to the ultimate game under English manager Bob Houghton.
The current fixture is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since last month following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the English side tonight.
Additional games on offer in this live coverage. The Glasgow club have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are last place of the 36-team Europa League standings at the midpoint 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 knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.