Nottingham Forest v Malmö, Braga vs Rangers, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage
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Key Events
- Full-time: Young Boys 1-2 Aston Villa
- Score!: Late goal from Monteiro makes it 2-1
- Game over: Celtic 3-1 Feyenoord
- Lineups announced: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Starting players: Rangers v Braga teams!
- Preamble
League Position
The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to 17th position and returned to the secure knockout positions.
| Rank | Side | P | Difference | 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 |
Match Result: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
Villa managed to hold on for the victory and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. The Birmingham club made hard work of that at the end.
90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back
Young Boys gave themselves a chance through Monteiro but were left with additional time to get the tying goal!
Celtic Secure Victory
A significant and important win for the Glasgow side. 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 the stadium.
Malen's second goal there triggered intense reactions in the away end, with Young Boys supporters confronting police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the officers and onto the pitch, with the player being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.
Starting XI Revealed
The Reds: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Match official: The German referee (from Germany)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
The Glasgow side: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Portuguese side: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, The forward, Horta.
Official: Allard Lindhout (Holland)
Preamble
Forest vs Malmö and historical connections. The both teams have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the European Cup final from 1979 that connects these teams, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.
"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, grey-sweatered and anonymous amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the revelry," noted the journalist. This represented an remarkable feat that it is unlikely to be replicated – from the lower league to continental competition in three seasons."
One should note to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to reach the final under manager Houghton.
The current fixture is a very different to that peak, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since 9 November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been defeated by a Braga this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the midpoint of the league phase with exactly zero. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a playoff spot.
Updates will continue with all the late games and provide the current standings from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.
