Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and Additional – Europa League Coverage
Match Coverage
Key Events
- Match ended: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Starting XI for Rangers vs Braga
- Introduction
Current Table
These early results greatly affect the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th position and are back in the safety of qualification spots.
| Pos | 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
Aston Villa secured for the win and moved level on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the top of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club struggled of that during the closing minutes.
Late Goal: Monteiro Scores
The Swiss side created a chance through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to find an equaliser!
Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic
A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.
Latest Action
Aston Villa, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with approximately five minutes left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the visitors' section, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Scuffles broke out and items launched at both the police and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being hit on the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The winger, The striker.
The Swedish side: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.
Official: Harm Osmers (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
Braga: Hornicek, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.
Referee: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Match Background
Forest vs Malmö and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship from 1979 that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the red half of Nottingham.
"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," commented the writer. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European football in a short period."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since last month following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Additional games on offer in this match tracking. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the half-way stage of the initial phase with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a knockout position.
We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.
