Tottenham Prepares for Season with Getafe Friendly
Tottenham are back on home soil, but there will be no fanfare this weekend. No cameras in the stands, no roar from the South Stand. Just a behind-closed-doors friendly against Getafe at Hotspur Way that carries more weight than the low-key setting suggests.
After a productive swing through New Zealand and Australia, Spurs have stitched together a quietly impressive pre-season run. Four games unbeaten, momentum building, and a dramatic finish in their final outing Down Under that hinted at a team beginning to believe in itself.
Richarlison’s winner against Chelsea – lashed home with virtually the last kick of the game – turned a solid tour into a statement one. Tottenham had been reduced to 10 men after Kevin Danso’s dismissal, yet still found a way to edge their London rivals 2-1. It was the sort of chaotic, late drama that can follow a team into a season.
Now comes the less glamorous but equally important part: fine-tuning.
De Zerbi balances momentum with risk
Roberto De Zerbi has Spurs moving in the right direction, but the Italian knows how quickly optimism can unravel. Last season’s campaign buckled under the weight of injuries. He is determined not to repeat that mistake.
The treatment room remains busy. Destiny Udogie and James Maddison have yet to play a single minute in pre-season. Maddison, in particular, is a concern. A hip problem has left him in a race against time to be ready for the Premier League opener at Brentford in two weeks. Udogie’s absence strips some thrust from the left flank, an area central to Spurs’ build-up play.
Micky van de Ven, on the verge of signing a new contract, has also been held back since returning from the World Cup. His pace and recovery runs transformed Tottenham’s back line last year, but De Zerbi is refusing to rush him. Dominic Solanke, by contrast, finally stepped onto the pitch for his first minutes of the summer against Chelsea, a key step in integrating one of the club’s major investments.
The message is clear: no unnecessary gambles, not in July and not for a friendly hidden from public view.
Big-money rebuild still needs chemistry
Spurs spent heavily in the summer and the squad now carries depth and competition across the pitch. That sort of overhaul brings excitement, but it also demands time. De Zerbi knows relationships don’t form in the gym or the meeting room. They form on the grass, under pressure, with the ball moving quickly.
That is where Getafe come in.
The Italian will hope to field something close to a full-strength side, using the Spanish visitors as a live rehearsal for Brentford. The predicted XI underlines that intent: Kinsky in goal; a back line of Gray, Van de Ven, Van Hecke and Robertson; a midfield built around Mateus Fernandes and Sandro Tonali; Williams-Barnett and Gallagher supporting Tel and Solanke in attack.
It is a side that blends new faces and core pillars, a template for what Spurs might look like when the serious business begins.
Glimpses of long-term absentees
The most encouraging scenes at Hotspur Way this week came away from any friendly line-up board. Long-term absentees Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski were spotted running together in training, a sight that would have felt distant not long ago.
Kudus has been missing since January with a serious quad injury. His ability to break lines, receive under pressure and carry the ball through traffic offers Tottenham a different dimension in the final third. He is now back training with the main group and closing in on full fitness, though it remains unlikely he will feature against Getafe.
Kulusevski’s road is longer. The Swedish playmaker has not played for over a year, sidelined since a patella injury in May 2025. Spurs are handling him with extreme care. He is not yet in full team training and is still some way from returning to competitive action. For a player of his creativity and vision, the club simply cannot afford a misstep.
Those images of the pair running at Hotspur Way do more than lift spirits. They hint at the attacking depth De Zerbi might eventually have at his disposal if the medical department can finally catch a break.
Fernandes back in the frame
There is better news in midfield. Mateus Fernandes, the £85million signing, has shaken off the calf issue that kept him out of Tottenham’s last two games. He is expected to be in contention on Saturday and his presence changes the rhythm of Spurs’ play.
Fernandes offers control and tempo, the kind of midfielder who can dictate a friendly behind closed doors just as effectively as a Premier League clash under the lights. For De Zerbi, getting him minutes alongside Tonali and the rest of the core is essential before the season starts.
Quiet ground, loud implications
Saturday’s game against Getafe, kicking off at 3pm BST at Hotspur Way, will not generate headlines in the way a glamour tie might. Yet inside the training complex, it will feel anything but low-key.
After Getafe, Tottenham face Hoffenheim in a double-header next weekend, the final dress rehearsals before the Premier League curtain rises away to Brentford. By then, De Zerbi will hope to have clearer answers on Maddison, Udogie and Kudus, and a sharper picture of his first-choice XI.
For now, this private run-out is about rhythm, resilience and risk management. Spurs have momentum. The question is whether their bodies – and their growing, expensively assembled squad – can keep pace with their ambition.
