Tottenham ‘s injury woes are easing with both vice-captain Pedro Porro and £100million midfielder Sandro Tonali fit to face Aston Villa on Saturday.
Despite improving performances, Spurs remain without a single goal or victory in the top-flight this season after four games and were dumped out of the Carabao Cup in the third round by Liverpool on Tuesday.
Head coach Roberto De Zerbi will desperately want to head into an extended three-week international break with some momentum and knows his side have a good opportunity to kick-start their season by inflicting more pain on Aston Villa.
Unai Emery’s side are also without a league win this season but secured their place in the Carabao Cup fourth round with a 3-1 win over Coventry on Wednesday.
While Spurs’ main issues on the pitch have come in attack, they have also struggled for fitness again, with De Zerbi bemoaning an unstructured pre-season that has left his players physically off the mark.
The club’s revamped medical team have also taken a more cautious approach to player returns, keen to avoid a repeat of the injury crisis that has derailed their last two seasons.
De Zerbi has therefore struggled to name a settled starting lineup so far this term, with first-choice full-backs Porro and Destiny Udogie left out as a precaution as Spurs drew 0-0 at home to Everton last weekend.
Porro and Udogie will both return to the side against Villa, however, with Udogie impressive even as Tottenham fell 3-1 to Liverpool at Anfield.
Tonali missed the trip to Merseyside with an unspecified knock, but has returned to training and will be in the squad.
James Maddison is being managed carefully and is still yet to start a game this season, but De Zerbi has confirmed the midfielder could get the nod.
Dejan Kulusevski is back in first-team training, but will not be involved as he continues to building up his match fitness after almost 18 months on the sidelines.
Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk remains out with an ankle injury suffered in training until after the international break. Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons are long-term absentees.
Predicted Tottenham XI (4-2-3-1): Kinsky; Porro, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, Udogie; Bentancur, Gallagher; Savio, Fernandes, Marmoush; Solanke
Injured: Simons, Odobert, Mudryk, Kulusevski
Time and date: 12:30pm BST on Saturday September 19, 2026
Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
How to watch: TNT Sports
