Tottenham Hotspur will have James Maddison back among their options when they host Everton in the Premier League on Saturday, September 12, with kick-off at 5:30pm BST at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The midfielder has returned to full training as he continues his recovery from a shoulder fracture sustained on the opening weekend of the season against Brentford.
Head coach Roberto De Zerbi confirmed the 29-year-old's return during his pre-match press conference on Friday but stopped short of guaranteeing a starting role. "Maddison, yes (he will be back)," De Zerbi said, before adding when pressed on whether the England international could feature from the start: "I'm happy when all my players are available. It is maybe a problem for me because my decisions are not easy. But I want to manage all players together."
Maddison's route back to full fitness has been a long one. He missed the bulk of last season due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury and was eased in gradually during pre-season this summer before the shoulder setback in the opening round of fixtures. The club have indicated he will continue to be managed carefully under updated medical protocols as he builds up his match sharpness.
While Maddison's return is a boost, De Zerbi's squad list for the Everton fixture is far from complete. Mykhailo Mudryk will not be involved, with the winger set to be sidelined until after the international break following what De Zerbi described as a "stupid" injury, given how innocuous the incident that caused it was. Mudryk had only recently begun to rebuild his match fitness after nearly two years without competitive football, making a brief substitute appearance against Nottingham Forest the previous weekend before this fresh blow.
There is further uncertainty over the availability of full-backs Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie, both of whom are managing what De Zerbi termed "small muscular problems." The Italian coach indicated a decision on the pair would be made close to kick-off, stressing that he has no intention of rushing either player back if there is any risk involved.
Elsewhere, Tottenham's injury list remains lengthy. Xavi Simons and Wilson Odobert are both unavailable on a long-term basis, while Dejan Kulusevski's recovery from a serious knee injury has hit another snag. The Swedish playmaker, who has not featured in a competitive match for roughly a year and a half, had returned to full team training last week only to suffer what De Zerbi called a minor issue. According to the club, Kulusevski has yet to rejoin his teammates for training since that setback.
Given the extensive list of absentees and doubts, De Zerbi is expected to name a much-changed side from his strongest available XI. A predicted lineup has Tottenham setting up in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Kinsky in goal behind a back four of Gray, Van Hecke, Van de Ven and Robertson. Bentancur and Tonali are tipped to anchor midfield, with Savio, Fernandes and Tel supporting lone striker Marmoush in the attacking positions.
The fixture will be broadcast live on Sky Sports as Tottenham look to build momentum in front of their home supporters against an Everton side looking to make an early statement in the campaign.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport (football).