Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Rangers v Braga, and Additional – Europa League Updates

Current Table

The opening scores greatly affect the league rankings. Celtic have moved up to 17th place and regained position in the secure qualification spots.

Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1

The English side clung on for the three points and moved level on points with table-toppers Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club made hard work of that at the end.

90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back

The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to get the tying goal!

Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic

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

Latest Action

Villa, at the same time, maintained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at Villa Park.

The Dutch forward's brace there sparked furious scenes in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans confronting police. Punches were thrown and items launched at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the player being caught on the head by a drinking vessel.

Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö

The Reds: Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, The defensive midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The winger, Kalimuendo.

Malmö FF: Ellborg, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, The striker.

Referee: The German referee (German)

Team News: Rangers v Braga

Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, Barron, The midfielder, Raskin, The attacker, The forward, The striker.

Braga: Hornicek, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Arrey-Mbi, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.

Match official: The Dutch referee (Holland)

Historical Context

The European clash and historical connections. The two clubs have a special connection, also meeting in Forest's last European campaign in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the premier competition final 46 years ago that links these clubs, with the record-breaking signing the English forward heading the only goal of a rather dull championship game to claim legendary status for the Forest supporters.

"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the mafficking," noted the journalist. Their achievement was an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to continental competition in three seasons."

It's also interesting to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to reach the final under manager Houghton.

The current fixture is a distant from that summit, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The smart money is on the Forest tonight.

Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. The Scottish side have already been defeated by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the league rankings at the middle of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any hope of making a recovery for a playoff spot.

Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including Aston Villa v Young Boys and the Dutch-Scottish clash.