Tottenham Hotspur will play a private friendly against Getafe at Hotspur Way this weekend as Roberto De Zerbi continues to fine-tune his squad ahead of the new Premier League campaign.
The match, set for 3pm BST on Saturday, August 8, comes after a successful tour of New Zealand and Australia, during which Spurs remained unbeaten. The trip concluded with a thrilling 2-1 win over Chelsea, with Richarlison netting a dramatic late winner despite Tottenham playing much of the game with ten men following Kevin Danso's red card.
With the Premier League season opener against Brentford now just two weeks away, De Zerbi is eager to build cohesion within his squad, particularly following a busy summer transfer window. However, a number of fitness concerns remain, forcing the Italian coach to tread carefully with his squad management.
James Maddison and Destiny Udogie have yet to feature at all this pre-season, with Maddison reportedly battling to be ready for the Brentford fixture due to a hip issue. Micky van de Ven, who is close to putting pen to paper on a new contract, has also been absent since returning from World Cup duty. Dominic Solanke, meanwhile, only recently made his first pre-season appearance in the win over Chelsea.
De Zerbi's cautious approach is understandable given how heavily injuries disrupted Tottenham's campaign last season. The club will be keen to avoid a repeat of those problems as they look to establish stability heading into the new season.
There is encouraging news regarding Mohammed Kudus, who has been sidelined since January with a serious quad injury. He is now back in full training with the squad, though he is unlikely to feature against Getafe as he continues working toward full match fitness.
Dejan Kulusevski's situation remains more complicated. The Swedish attacker has not played competitively in over a year after suffering a patella injury in May 2025, and he has not yet rejoined full team training, suggesting his return to action is still some way off.
On a more positive note, Mateus Fernandes has returned to training after recovering from a calf problem that kept him out of Tottenham's previous two matches. The £85 million signing is expected to be available for selection against Getafe.
Based on the squad's current fitness levels, De Zerbi's likely starting lineup includes Kinsky in goal, with a back line of Gray, Van de Ven, Van Hecke, and Robertson. The midfield is expected to feature Fernandes, Tonali, and Williams-Barnett, supporting an attacking trio of Gallagher, Tel, and Solanke.
Following the Getafe fixture, Tottenham will face German side Hoffenheim in back-to-back friendlies next weekend before officially kicking off their league campaign with a trip to Brentford. De Zerbi will be hoping to have as many of his squad members back to full fitness as possible before that opening test, though question marks remain over the availability of Maddison, Udogie, and Kudus in the short term.
Based on reporting from Standard Sport (Football).