Swansea City vs Liverpool - Swansea must pay tribute to Hillsborough victims - 7M sport

Swansea City vs Liverpool - Swansea must pay tribute to Hillsborough victims



Posted Saturday, April 30, 2016 by PA

Swansea head coach Francesco Guidolin has prepared his players for an emotional afternoon as Liverpool play their first game on British soil since an inquest ruled the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster were unlawfully killed.

The two clubs have held talks on how best to mark the occasion since Tuesday's conclusion of a two-year inquest exonerated Liverpool fans of any wrongdoing in the disaster, and found mistakes by South Yorkshire's police and ambulance services "caused or contributed to" the deaths of supporters.

A minute's applause to commemorate the victims of the 1989 tragedy will be held before the Barclays Premier League game on Sunday, and some Swansea fans are planning to join Liverpool supporters in singing the club's anthem, 'You'll Never Walk Alone', after the idea received widespread support on social media.

"It is important to remember what happened," said Guidolin.

"There is a culture in the clubs to remember what happened in the past and that is good.

"What happened was terrible and I am happy that the truth has come out.

"I have spoken to my players about it (the occasion) and it is right to do a tribute on Sunday for the 96 people."

On the pitch, Swansea are hoping to confirm their Premier League status after successive heavy away defeats at Newcastle and Leicester left them stuck on the 40-point mark, which Norwich and Sunderland could yet both overhaul.

They might be helped by Liverpool's Europa League commitments with Reds boss Jurgen Klopp ready to rotate his squad following Thursday night's 1-0 semi-final defeat at Villarreal.

The Swansea fixture comes just four days before Liverpool meet the Spaniards in the second leg at Anfield.

But Guidolin warned: "Liverpool can play the same in the Premier League and the Europa League as they are a big club with many important players.

"I remember the same situation when they played in the Europa League and then they played against Bournemouth in the Premier League a few days later.

"They played with many young players and won. They are not far from the top-four position, and Liverpool is a great club which can be focused on Swansea and Villarreal."

Swansea are without striker Alberto Paloschi and midfielder Leroy Fer after both picked up hamstring injuries.

Liverpool manager Klopp is likely to ring the changes for a game which kicks off 56 hours after they returned from Villarreal.

Goalkeeper Danny Ward could get another start while striker Daniel Sturridge, an unused substitute in Spain, is set for a recall.

Playmaker Philippe Coutinho should be recovered from the illness which forced him off at half-time on Thursday but is only likely to be on the bench.

On Sturridge, Klopp said: "The mentality of Daniel is really good, very confident, because he has all these qualities and he knows about these qualities.

"Daniel came back from injury and now he is fit for the longest period [for a long time]. That is very important.

"We could have let him play in the first few weeks, hoping he could do something special, but that would not have been the right decision for him because then he would have been injured again.

"It does not work. The Premier League, Europa League, everything is too intense.

"It is about balance absolutely always. I've said a few times that I always think more about the strengths of a player than the weaknesses."



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