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

Current Table

The initial outcomes greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and regained position in the protected qualification spots.

Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys

Aston Villa secured for the victory and went equal on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the competition table. The English side struggled of that during the closing minutes.

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

The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to score the leveler!

Glasgow Side Wins 3-1

A famous and valuable win for the Glasgow side. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.

Match Updates

The Birmingham side, meanwhile, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.

The Dutch forward's brace there caused dramatic events in the visitors' section, with visiting fans engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and objects thrown at both the authorities and onto the pitch, with Malen himself being hit on the head by a plastic cup.

Lineups: Forest vs Malmö

Forest: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, The defender, Morato, Yates, Sangare, The midfielder, The attacker, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.

The Swedish side: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, The center-back, The defender, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.

Official: Osmers (from Germany)

Lineups: Rangers vs Braga

The Light Blues: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.

The Arsenalistas: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Ricardo Horta.

Official: Allard Lindhout (Netherlands)

Match Background

The European clash and historical connections. The both teams have a unique relationship, also meeting in Forest's previous European adventure in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final decades past that entwines these two together, with the groundbreaking transfer Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to secure historic victory for the Forest supporters.

"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, unassuming and low-key amid all the colour and celebration, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the revelry," wrote the match reporter. This represented an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from second tier to continental competition in just three years."

It's also interesting to pause a little on Malmö, who became the first, and to date the last Scandinavian side to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.

Tonight's game is a distant from that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in that era. Forest are riding high after beating Liverpool 3-0 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 popular prediction is on the home team tonight.

Plenty of other action on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the half-way stage of the group stage with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a recovery for a knockout position.

Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.