Bolton Players Speak of Flashbacks of Muamba’s Collapse Ahead of Return to FA Cup Tie

Bolton will return to White Hart Lane - where Fabrice Muamba so tragically collapsed with cardiac arrest a week ago - on Tuesday, for the rescheduled FA Cup quarter-final tie between the two teams.

Unfortunately, according to a Daily Mail report, some Bolton players are still having flashbacks of the shocking incident. The game will be a tough mental battle, as much as anything else, for Bolton manager Owen Coyle and his team.

The one bright spot in the matter is that Muamba, 23, has since made a miraculous recovery. Although the player remains in intensive care, his condition has stabilised, much to the relief of football fans across the world.

Bolton defender Sam Ricketts has said the emotional rollercoaster of the past week had even led to some players falling ill.

"There were a few lads who, when they were asleep, had flashbacks to certain things they'd seen on Saturday," said Ricketts, following the club's return to action with a win, at home, to relegation rivals Blackburn, in a Daily Mail report.

"It's been such an emotional drain. What it can do to your body being so low and then coming out to such a high, a couple of the lads have been ill coming in to this game with relief that Fab was better again. In the early part of the week until we knew how well Fab was doing, no one wanted to play football. But with the fantastic progress he's making, it would be fantastic if we can get back to Wembley and he can come back with us," the defender said.

Meanwhile, Spurs Cameroon star, Benoit Assou-Ekotto, earlier spoke of seeing Muamba down on the pitch. He admitted it brought back unpleasant memories of countryman and former Manchester City player Marc-Viven Foe's death, in similar circumstances, in 2003.

Bolton's Darren Pratley was also affected by the traumatic event.

"I don't think you do sleep when something like that happens to one of your close mates. We saw him every day and then in effect he was dead on the pitch," the Daily Mail quoted the midfielder as saying.

"It's been the hardest week of my life, being so close to where it happened and seeing everything go on. It's been hard sleeping. When you see that close up it's not nice. You lose track of the days. On Wednesday or Thursday we were in and didn't really know what day it was. Going back there (to Tottenham) will be tough I would think, but Fabrice is on the mend and that's the main thing," Pratley added.