Tottenham Faces Nottingham Forest Amid Injury Concerns
Tottenham head back into Premier League battle today still empty-handed, still chasing their first points of the season, and now walking into a tricky afternoon at Nottingham Forest with a patched‑up squad and a manager already unhappy with their preparation.
De Zerbi fighting fitness fallout
Roberto De Zerbi has not hidden his frustration. He believes the club’s pre-season tour has left his players short of the physical edge needed for the campaign’s opening weeks, and the evidence is piling up in the treatment room.
Injuries have bitten deep. Even the big-money arrivals have not been spared. Savio, the £85m signing from Manchester City and the headline act of the summer, has already had to navigate a muscle problem. He exploded off the bench on his debut against Charlton last week, scoring and assisting to offer a glimpse of why Spurs spent so heavily. Then, just as quickly, he disappeared again.
A knock in training kept the Brazilian out of the matchday squad for the defeat to Newcastle. De Zerbi, though, has now confirmed Savio is back and available, a rare sliver of good news in a bruising start to the season.
Maddison doubt hangs over Spurs
The real worry is James Maddison. The playmaker fractured his shoulder on the opening weekend against Brentford, a brutal early blow to Tottenham’s creative core.
He missed the loss to Newcastle and remains a major doubt for the trip to the City Ground. At 29, Maddison is one of the leaders in this side, the man De Zerbi would want on the ball when the pressure tightens and the crowd turns. Instead, Spurs may have to navigate a hostile away day without him, again.
With no points on the board and the season barely underway, that absence looms large.
Mudryk back from ban, but only in bursts
Transfer deadline day brought fresh energy on paper. Mykhailo Mudryk and Tosin Adarabioyo were both registered in time for the weekend, a late push to strengthen both ends of the pitch.
Only one of them is actually involved.
Adarabioyo misses out on the matchday squad, leaving De Zerbi to lean on his existing defensive options. Mudryk, though, is there – but only just. The Ukrainian winger has not played a competitive match since November 2024 after serving a doping ban, and De Zerbi has been blunt about his condition: Mudryk is fit enough for around 30 minutes, no more.
So he starts on the bench, a potential game-changer rather than a guaranteed starter. If the match tightens, if Spurs again find themselves chasing, all eyes will turn to him.
Tottenham arrive at Forest with key players missing, star signings short of rhythm, and a manager still angry about the groundwork laid in summer. Now comes the only test that matters: can this bruised squad finally turn all that noise into points?
