Malmö vs Nottingham Forest, Braga vs Rangers, and More – UEFA Europa League Coverage

Current Table

The initial outcomes have significant impact on the competition standings. Celtic have moved up to the 17th spot and returned to the protected playoff places.

Full-time: Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys

Villa managed to hold on for the win and became tied on points with leaders Midtjylland at the peak of the league phase standings. The Birmingham club had difficulty of that during the closing minutes.

Late Goal: Monteiro Scores

The Swiss side created a hope through Monteiro but had just four more minutes to score the leveler!

Glasgow Side Wins 3-1

A famous and valuable win for the Scottish team. Even after falling 1-0 down, Celtic responded strongly with goals from Yang, the Japanese midfielder and Nygren.

Game Developments

Aston Villa, 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 opposition stands, with visiting fans engaging with police. Punches were thrown and projectiles hurled at both the authorities and at the playing surface, with the goalscorer being struck in the head by a throwable object.

Team News: Nottingham Forest v Malmö

Nottingham Forest: The goalkeeper, Abbott, Milenkovic, Murillo, Morato, The midfielder, Sangare, Dominguez, McAtee, Hudson-Odoi, Kalimuendo.

Malmö: Ellborg, Stryger Larsen, Jansson, Duric, The full-back, Haksabanovic, The midfielder, The midfielder, The attacker, The forward, Busanello.

Referee: The German referee (from Germany)

Starting Players

Rangers: The goalkeeper, The defender, The center-back, Djiga, Aarons, The midfielder, Diomande, Raskin, The attacker, Danilo, The striker.

Braga: The goalkeeper, The defender, Lagerbielke, The defender, The full-back, Zalazar, The experienced midfielder, The midfielder, Martinez, The forward, Ricardo Horta.

Match official: Allard Lindhout (from Netherlands)

Match Background

The European clash and memories of 1979. The two clubs have a special connection, also competing in Forest's last European campaign in the 1995-96 Uefa Cup, but it is the continental championship decades past that connects these teams, with the record-breaking signing Trevor Francis netting the decisive goal of a largely forgettable match to clinch eternal glory for the Forest supporters.

"Brian Clough and Peter Taylor, modestly dressed amid all the festivities and cheers, stood for a moment on a bench quietly watching the revelry," wrote the match reporter. Their achievement was an remarkable feat that it is difficult to imagine happening again – from the lower league 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 reach the final under English manager Bob Houghton.

This match is a far cry from that pinnacle, closer perhaps to the previous continental meeting between Forest and Malmö in the mid-nineties. Forest are riding high after thrashing Liverpool at Liverpool's home on Saturday, while Malmö have been inactive since early November following the completion of Allsvenskan. The popular prediction is on the English side tonight.

Additional games on offer in this clockwatch. The Glasgow club have already been lost to a European rival this season. Rangers are rock bottom of the 36-team Europa League standings at the half-way stage of the initial phase with precisely zero points. They urgently require a victory if they are to have any opportunity for a recovery for a qualification place.

We'll keep you up to date with all nine of the 8pm kick-offs and provide the most recent results from the concluded fixtures, including the Birmingham match and the Dutch-Scottish clash.