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

Current Table

The opening scores greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic climbed to the 17th spot and are back in the safety of playoff places.

Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys

Villa managed to hold on for the victory and went equal on points with leaders Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. The English side made hard work of that in the final stages.

Late Goal: Monteiro Scores

Young Boys earned a chance through Monteiro but had just additional time to find an equaliser!

Full-time: Feyenoord 1-3 Celtic

A memorable and crucial win for the Celtic. Despite going 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from the Korean forward, the Japanese midfielder and the Swedish striker.

Match Updates

The Birmingham side, meanwhile, retained a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.

Malen's double there sparked furious scenes in the away end, with visiting fans confronting police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the officers and toward the field, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a drinking vessel.

Lineups: Forest vs Malmö

Forest: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, The striker.

Malmö: Ellborg, The defender, The center-back, The defender, Rosler, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.

Official: Harm Osmers (Germany)

Lineups: Rangers vs Braga

Rangers: Butland, Tavernier, Fernandez, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, The midfielder, The attacker, Danilo, Chermiti.

The Portuguese side: Hornicek, The defender, Lagerbielke, Niakate, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, The striker.

Referee: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)

Historical Context

Nottingham Forest v Malmö and past encounters. The both teams have a unique relationship, also competing in Forest's previous European adventure in the UEFA Cup of 1995-96, but it is the European Cup final 46 years ago that entwines these two together, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the red half of Nottingham.

"The legendary management duo, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the celebrations," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is hard to see being repeated – from second tier to continental competition in three seasons."

Worth mentioning to pause a little on Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Swedish club to reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.

The current fixture is a far cry from that peak, closer perhaps to the Uefa Cup first-round tie between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after defeating Liverpool convincingly at Anfield on Saturday, while Malmö haven't played officially since last month following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the home team tonight.

Numerous other matches on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been beaten by a Portuguese opponent this season. Rangers are at the foot of the league rankings at the midpoint of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a late surge for a knockout position.

Updates will continue with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the latest scores from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.