Match Coverage
Important Updates
- Match ended: Villa 2-1 Young Boys
- Score!: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
- Full-time: Feyenoord defeated 1-3 by Celtic
- Team news: Starting players for Forest vs Malmö
- Lineups revealed: Rangers and Braga lineups
- Introduction
Current Table
The opening scores greatly affect the competition standings. Celtic climbed to 17th position and returned to the safety of qualification spots.
| Rank | Side | Played | Goal Difference | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Midtjylland | 5 | 7 | 12 |
| 2 | Aston Villa | 5 | 5 | 12 |
| 3 | Freiburg | 5 | 5 | 11 |
| 4 | Ferencvaros | 5 | 4 | 11 |
| 5 | FC Porto | 5 | 3 | 10 |
| 17 | Celtic | 5 | -1 | 7 |
| 25 | Nottm Forest | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| 35 | Rangers | 4 | -7 | 0 |
| 33 | Malmo FF | 4 | -5 | 1 |
Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys
The English side clung on for the victory and went equal on points with front-runners Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club struggled of that in the final stages.
GOAL! Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys (Joël Monteiro 90+1)
Young Boys gave themselves a hope through Monteiro but only have stoppage time to score the leveler!
Glasgow Side Wins 3-1
A memorable and crucial win for the Glasgow side. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic fought back with goals from the Korean forward, Reo Hatate and Benjamin Nygren.
Game Developments
Villa, at the same time, held onto a 2-0 lead over Young Boys with roughly 300 seconds left at the stadium.
Malen's second goal there caused dramatic events in the away end, with visiting fans engaging with police. Physical altercations occurred and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with Malen himself being struck in the head by a plastic cup.
Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö
Nottingham Forest: John Victor, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, Yates, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.
Malmö FF: Ellborg, The defender, Jansson, The defender, Rosler, The midfielder, Johnsen, The midfielder, Bolin, Gudjohnsen, Busanello.
Official: The German referee (German)
Team News: Rangers v Braga
Rangers: Butland, The defender, Fernandez, The defender, Aarons, Barron, Diomande, The midfielder, Gassama, Danilo, Chermiti.
The Arsenalistas: Hornicek, Gomez, The center-back, Niakate, The full-back, The midfielder, Joao Moutinho, The midfielder, Martinez, Navarro, Horta.
Match official: The Dutch referee (from Netherlands)
Historical Context
The European clash and historical connections. The both teams have a special connection, 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 links these clubs, with Britain's first £1m player Trevor Francis scoring the winner of a largely forgettable match to claim legendary status for the red half of Nottingham.
"Forest's famous bosses, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench serenely viewing the mafficking," wrote the match reporter. Theirs has been an outstanding achievement that it is unlikely to be replicated – from Second Division to European stage in three seasons."
Worth mentioning to consider Malmö, who became the initial and final Swedish club to make the championship match under manager Houghton.
This match is a far cry from that summit, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in 1995-96. Forest are full of confidence after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the end of the Swedish league season. The popular prediction is on the Forest tonight.
Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. Rangers have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are at the foot of the competition table at the middle of the league phase with no points whatsoever. They desperately need a victory if they are to have any chance of achieving a comeback for a knockout position.
Updates will continue with all the evening matches and provide the current standings from the previous games, including the Birmingham match and Feyenoord v Celtic.