Scott Parker expects the Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers players to be in the right frame of mind for the rescheduled FA Cup tie.
Tottenham midfielder hoping to secure FA Cup semi-final place
Scott Parker expects the Tottenham Hotspur and Bolton Wanderers players to be in the right frame of mind for the rescheduled FA Cup quarter-final tie.
The original meeting between the clubs 10 days ago was abandoned before half-time after Bolton midfielder Fabrice Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest.
Muamba has made remarkable progress since collapsing on the White Hart Lane pitch and Bolton confirmed on Monday that he is now eating and speaking, and has also got out of bed.
Spurs manager Harry Redknapp spoke of how the incident "knocked him flat" in the days that followed, and he also revealed that his players had been offered counselling in an attempt to deal with the player's collapse.
Parker feels Muamba's steady recovery has helped his team get over the incident and is looking forward to Tuesday's encounter.
Tricky
Asked if the players were in the right frame of mind for the game, Parker said: "I think so.
"The game before was obviously quite tragic and something that you obviously don't want to see. But with Fabrice's recovery it has probably helped us a lot, and I'm sure it's helped Bolton as well.
"Obviously, it was a little bit tricky after what happened but I think the lads are fine now because we hear Fabrice is doing pretty well, which is pleasing."
While Parker has been pleased with Muamba's progress, he also knows his team-mates must not lose sight of what is at stake against the Trotters after being buoyed by Saturday's 0-0 draw at Chelsea.
The midfielder added: "The way we played at Chelsea has given us a big lift going into what is a big game for us.
"We know it's a Cup quarter-final, with a Wembley semi-final against Chelsea if we win. So it's a big game for us.
"Confidence is good after Saturday's result, so we will look to go into that and win that.
"There's a big prize on offer. We would like a trip to Wembley and not just for the semi-final - we'd like to go to the final so we are looking forward to it."
