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

Current Table

The opening scores have significant impact on the Europa League table. The Glasgow side rose to 17th place and returned to the secure qualification spots.

Final Score: Aston Villa 2-1

Aston Villa secured for the victory and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the summit of the league phase standings. Villa struggled of that during the closing minutes.

90+1: Monteiro Pulls One Back

The Swiss side created a lifeline through Monteiro but had just additional time to get the tying goal!

Glasgow Side Wins 3-1

A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Although they went 1-0 down, Celtic roared back with goals from Yang Hyun-jun, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.

Match Updates

Villa, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with around five minutes left at the stadium.

Malen's double there triggered intense reactions in the opposition stands, with Swiss fans clashing with police. Physical altercations occurred and items launched at both the police and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a throwable object.

Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö

The Reds: Victor, Abbott, The center-back, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.

Malmö FF: Ellborg, Larsen, Jansson, Duric, Rosler, Haksabanovic, Johnsen, Skogmar, The attacker, Gudjohnsen, The striker.

Official: Harm Osmers (from Germany)

Starting Players

The Light Blues: The goalkeeper, The defender, Fernandez, Djiga, The full-back, Barron, Diomande, Raskin, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.

Braga: Hornicek, Gomez, Lagerbielke, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, Joao Moutinho, Gorby, The attacker, The forward, Horta.

Referee: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)

Historical Context

Forest vs Malmö and past encounters. The two clubs have a special connection, also facing each other in Forest's most recent continental tour in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the European Cup final decades past that links these clubs, with the groundbreaking transfer Francis netting the decisive goal of a pretty miserable final to secure historic victory for the red half of Nottingham.

"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the excitement and joy, stood for a moment on a bench calmly observing the celebrations," commented the writer. Theirs has been an extraordinary accomplishment that it is hard to see being repeated – from the lower league to European football in just three years."

One should note to reflect upon Malmö, who became the pioneering and only Nordic team to advance to the ultimate game under British coach Houghton.

The current fixture is a very different to that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after beating Liverpool 3-0 at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the conclusion of their domestic campaign. The smart money is on the home team tonight.

Numerous other matches on offer in this live coverage. The Scottish side have already been beaten by a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the competition table at the half-way stage of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They badly want a victory if they are to have any hope of making a late surge for a qualification place.

Coverage will persist with all the late games and provide the latest scores from the earlier matches, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.