Tottenham Hotspur closed out their pre-season schedule with a 2-2 draw against Hoffenheim, a fixture that carried significant weight due to the return of James Maddison after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
The England international had not featured for Spurs at all over the summer, having struggled with an unspecified issue that developed following the anterior cruciate ligament injury he suffered in pre-season last year, an setback that ruled him out of the majority of the previous campaign. With Tottenham set to open their Premier League season away at Brentford in just a week's time, there had been growing unease that Maddison might once again begin a season without full fitness.
Those fears were eased somewhat as manager Roberto De Zerbi named a heavily rotated starting eleven that included Maddison, who played 45 minutes in his first start for almost a year. His display was mixed: he lost possession inside the box early on and then fouled Leon Avdullahu, conceding a penalty that Adam Hlozek converted to give Hoffenheim the lead. Maddison was withdrawn at half-time, replaced by youngster Reiss Elliot-Parris.
There was better news elsewhere in midfield, where Mateus Fernandes completed a full 90 minutes. The £85million summer arrival from West Ham had been troubled by a calf issue picked up during Tottenham's pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia, but he looked sharp on his return, delivering the cross from which veteran defender Ben Davies headed home Tottenham's equaliser in the 20th minute after a short corner routine.
Spurs then edged ahead just before the interval through a well-taken goal from highly-rated winger Luca Williams-Barnett, who fired past goalkeeper Luca Philipp following a surging run from Pape Matar Sarr. Sarr himself was another player returning to action, alongside midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur.
Hoffenheim responded after the break when Valentin Gendrey found the net with a well-struck volley to level the score at 2-2. Kevin Danso then rattled the crossbar for the visitors, while teenage winger Miracle Adewole came close to snatching a late winner for Tottenham as both sides searched for a decisive goal that never arrived.
While the reappearances of Maddison and Fernandes will offer encouragement to supporters, along with minutes for Bentancur, Sarr, Williams-Barnett and Souza, the friendly also highlighted areas of concern for De Zerbi ahead of the opening league fixture. Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie and Mohammed Kudus have not featured at all during pre-season, leaving question marks over their readiness for the trip to Brentford.
Dejan Kulusevski remains another doubt, continuing his return to full training following a knee injury that has kept him out since May 2025. Dominic Solanke was again absent for the Hoffenheim match, as was goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario, who is widely expected to depart the club before the transfer window closes on September 1.
Additionally, Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons remain sidelined with long-term injuries. Pedro Porro, meanwhile, did not feature in any pre-season fixtures having taken a holiday following Spain's World Cup triumph, though he returned to training with the squad earlier in the week.
With the Premier League curtain-raiser against Brentford fast approaching, Tottenham will hope to build on the positives from Sunday's draw while managing a lengthy injury list that continues to test De Zerbi's squad depth.
Based on reporting from Standard Football.