Tottenham Hotspur head into their opening Premier League fixture of the new campaign with a mixed injury picture, as manager Roberto De Zerbi assesses the availability of several important players before Saturday's trip to face Brentford.
James Maddison and summer arrival Fernandes both had their training loads carefully monitored throughout pre-season, while defenders Micky van de Ven and Destiny Udogie were absent from all pre-season fixtures. Despite the lack of match minutes, there is optimism at Hotspur Way that Maddison, Udogie and Fernandes could all be involved against Brentford this weekend.
Udogie's workload has been managed following a string of muscular problems that hampered him for large parts of last season. Maddison, meanwhile, continues to build up his match sharpness after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury last summer that kept him sidelined for an extended period. Fernandes, who joined the club this summer, has been nursing a calf complaint over recent weeks but is reportedly pushing to make his case for involvement.
The situation is less encouraging for Van de Ven. The Dutch international, who recently agreed a lucrative new long-term contract with the club, has not featured in any of De Zerbi's pre-season squads since returning from World Cup duty and was not seen training with the group at Hotspur Way. As things stand, it appears increasingly unlikely that the centre-back will be involved when Spurs travel to west London.
Striker Dominic Solanke is also considered a doubt for the opener. He was used sparingly throughout the pre-season programme having missed the bulk of last season through ankle and hamstring problems, and his fitness will continue to be monitored closely in the build-up to kick-off.
Tottenham will be desperate to start the new campaign strongly following a disappointing 17th-place finish last season, a result that fell well short of the club's usual standards and prompted a significant summer rebuild. Spurs have invested heavily in the squad, spending in the region of £237 million on six new signings, underlining the scale of ambition behind the project as they look to bounce back quickly.
Saturday evening's fixture at the Gtech Community Stadium represents an early opportunity for De Zerbi's side to make a statement of intent. A positive result against Brentford would go some way to easing pressure heading into the new season and demonstrate that lessons have been learned from last term's struggles.
Brentford, for their part, arrive at the match with genuine aspirations of their own. Under head coach Keith Andrews, the Bees enjoyed an impressive campaign last season and are now targeting a first-ever European qualification. That makes this opening-day clash a significant test for both sides, with Andrews' team eager to continue their upward trajectory against a Tottenham outfit determined to prove their summer spending was justified.
With De Zerbi still weighing up his options on the fitness front, particularly regarding Van de Ven and Solanke, the extent to which Tottenham can call upon their strongest available squad for the trip to Brentford remains to be seen. The final team selection is likely to go down to the wire as the club balances the need for results against the importance of managing players carefully following injury-hit periods last season.
Based on reporting from Standard Football.