Francesco Guidolin: Swansea must pay tribute to Hillsborough victims

Francesco Guidolin says it is right to mark the Hillsborough inquest verdict with a tribute

Swansea boss 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 the 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 Swansea head coach 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."

Guidolin came up against Liverpool in his time as Udinese manager as the two clubs were in the same Europa League group during the 2012-13 season.

Udinese triumphed 3-2 at Anfield with Brendan Rodgers' side winning 1-0 in Italy, and Guidolin believes Liverpool can strike a blow for English football by winning a European prize.

"When I was at Udinese the chairman said, and I agreed, to play the young players in the Europa League and give them experience," said Guidolin.

"It is not easy to balance two things because the Europa League is not the first target (for clubs).

"But this competition is important for Liverpool because of (qualifying for) the Champions League. It is important for English football that they win it."