Forest vs Malmö, Rangers v Braga, and More – Europa League News

League Position

These early results strongly influence the Europa League table. Celtic climbed to 17th position and regained position in the safety of qualification spots.

Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys

Aston Villa secured for the win and became tied on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the competition table. The English side had difficulty of that in the final stages.

GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)

Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but only have additional time to score the leveler!

Celtic Secure Victory

A famous and valuable win for the Celtic. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and the Swedish striker.

Latest Action

Aston Villa, meanwhile, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at their home ground.

The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the away end, with Swiss fans engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the police and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a throwable object.

Lineups: Forest vs Malmö

The Reds: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, The full-back, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.

Malmö FF: The goalkeeper, Larsen, The center-back, Duric, Rosler, The midfielder, The midfielder, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.

Official: The German referee (German)

Team News: Rangers v Braga

The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, Tavernier, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Chermiti.

Braga: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, The midfielder, Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, The striker.

Official: Lindhout (from Netherlands)

Historical Context

The European clash and historical connections. The two clubs have a unique relationship, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the mid-90s European competition, but it is the premier competition final from 1979 that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing the English forward netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the the English club.

"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from second tier to continental competition in a short period."

One should note to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Nordic team to reach the final under British coach Houghton.

Tonight's game is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the earlier European encounter between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are absolutely buzzing after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since 9 November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The general expectation is on the English side tonight.

Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been lost to a Braga this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the half-way stage of the group stage with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a qualification place.

We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.