Tonight in the Europa League, echoes of the past reverberate as Nottingham Forest welcomes Malmö FF to the City Ground, a nostalgic rematch of the 1979 European Cup final. Meanwhile, in Glasgow, Rangers face Sporting Braga in a crucial encounter at Ibrox.
Nottingham Forest vs. Malmö FF: A Trip Down Memory Lane
Nottingham Forest's clash with Malmö FF evokes strong memories of their historic 1-0 victory in Munich, where Trevor Francis's header secured Forest's first European Cup. As the two teams meet again in the Europa League, Forest has invited players from both 1979 squads to greet fans before the match.
Forest enters the game on a high following their impressive 3-0 win against Liverpool in the Premier League. Under new coach Sean Dyche, they are looking for their second victory in this season's Europa League. Currently, Forest is 23rd in the league-phase table and hopes a win against Malmö will propel them into the top eight. Malmö, sitting at 33rd in the table, is yet to win a game in the competition.
Malmö finished sixth in their domestic league and will not be in European competition next season. The Swedish side has faced English opposition before, losing to Chelsea in both the 2018/19 Europa League and the 2021/22 Champions League.
Rangers vs. Sporting Braga: A Must-Win Battle at Ibrox
Rangers host Braga in a must-win Europa League match at Ibrox. The Glasgow side is under pressure to ignite their European campaign after losing all four of their league phase matches. A victory is crucial to keep their hopes of advancing to the knockout stages alive.
Rangers' coach, Danny Röhl, has made three changes to the starting lineup from the weekend's victory over Livingston. Youssef Chermiti returns from injury to start, alongside Max Aarons and Connor Barron. The Rangers lineup includes Jack Butland in goal, James Tavernier, Nasser Djiga, Emmanuel Fernandez, and Max Aarons in defense; Barron, Nico Raskin, and Mohamed Diomande in midfield; and Gassama, Danilo and Chermiti in attack.
Braga has a good scoring record in the Europa League, finding the net in all four of their matches. Rangers, in contrast, is the competition's lowest scorer and has lost both home fixtures in the league phase. The match kicks off at 8:00 PM GMT and will be broadcast live on TNT Sports 3.
