Parker: Tottenham and Bolton players will be in the right frame of mind

Posted Tuesday, March 27, 2012 by YAHOO Sport

Tottenham midfielder Scott Parker expects both sets of players to be in the right frame of mind when his side face Bolton in the FA Cup, 10 days after Fabrice Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest on the White Hart Lane pitch.

The rescheduled quarterfinal tie will take place on Tuesday evening and the 31-year-old says that Muamba’s incredible recovery will help both squads mentally.

When asked if the players will be in the right frame of mind, Parker replied: “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 probably helped us a lot, and I’m sure it has 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 is pleased with Muamba’s progress, he also stressed the importance of not losing sight of what is at stake in the game.

After being buoyed by 0-0 draw at Chelsea on Saturday, Spurs could reach a Wembley semifinal against the same opponents with a win against the Trotters.

Parker 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 quarterfinal, with a Wembley semifinal against Chelsea if we win, so it is a big game.

“Confidence is high after Staurday’s result so we will look to go into [tonight’s game] and win that. We would like a trip to Wembley and not just for the semi-final – we’d like to go to the final.”