Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Rangers vs Braga, and More – UEFA Europa League News
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Important Updates
- Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Goal scored!: Joël Monteiro scores for Young Boys at 90+1
- Match concluded: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Lineups announced: Nottingham Forest v Malmö teams!
- Starting players: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Opening notes
League Position
The initial outcomes strongly influence the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and returned to the safety of qualification spots.
| Pos | Team | 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
The English side clung on for the victory and became tied on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys earned a lifeline through Monteiro but were left with four more minutes to score the leveler!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.
Latest Action
The Birmingham side, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at Villa Park.
The Dutch forward's brace there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with visiting fans confronting police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the police and toward the field, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.
Lineups: Forest vs Malmö
The Reds: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: The goalkeeper, The defender, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, The forward, The striker.
Referee: The German referee (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, The attacker, Navarro, Horta.
Official: The Dutch referee (Holland)
Historical Context
The European clash and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a historical link, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that entwines these two together, with the record-breaking signing the English forward scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the celebrations," commented the writer. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to continental competition in just three years."
It's also interesting to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only 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 earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't kicked a competitive ball since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The general expectation is on the home team tonight.
Numerous other matches on offer in this match tracking. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are last place of the league rankings at the midpoint of the league phase with precisely zero points. They badly want a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a playoff spot.
Coverage will persist with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the current standings from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and Rotterdam vs Glasgow.
