Bolton decide on Rovers match after Muamba drama

Bolton Wanderers are set to decide Wednesday if their Premier League match at home to Lancashire rivals Blackburn Rovers will go ahead on Saturday, as midfielder Fabrice Muamba recovers in hospital.

Muamba collapsed with a cardiac arrest during Bolton's FA Cup tie against Tottenham at White Hart Lane. The match was abandoned and Wanderers subsequently postponed their scheduled league fixture against Aston Villa on Tuesday.

But with the 23-year-old midfielder making encouraging progress -- he is now breathing independently and has spoken to visitors to his hospital bed -- Bolton may decide the time is right to resume playing football again.

However, Bolton manager Owen Coyle -- who has been at Muamba's bedside for several days -- only returned to training with his team Wednesday and is set to gauge the mood of his squad before making a final decision on the home game.

Bolton will then inform the Football Association, with Blackburn having already made it clear they will go along with Wanderers' wishes, whatever they may be.

"As we hope and pray that Fabrice continues to improve, that's something we will have to look at," Coyle said Tuesday of the Blackburn match.

"My thoughts are that we will have the group back in training (Wednesday) and we will look at it from then.
"The one concern we all have is for Fabrice only."

Coyle's men are just a point above the relegation zone while Blackburn moved six points clear of the bottom three with a 2-0 win over Sunderland on Tuesday.

The plight of Muamba has sparked a worldwide outpouring of support for the former England Under-21 international, who was born in what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo but came to Britain at the age of 11.

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