Roberto De Zerbi dealing with more huge selection blows as Spurs desperately fight against relegation
Sam Tabuteau
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Roberto De Zerbi has been left to sweat over the fitness of Destiny Udogie and Guglielmo Vicario ahead of Tottenham’s trip to Aston Villa this weekend.
Spurs travel to Villa Park on Sunday evening sitting in 18th place in the Premier League table and still two points from safety with just four games left to play this season.
Tottenham secured their first league win of the calendar year last weekend by beating bottom-of-the-table Wolves 1-0 at Molineux, but time is running out for them to turn things around after rivals West Ham also defeated Everton.
Spurs’ victory against Wolves was overshadowed by injuries in each half to Xavi Simons and Dominic Solanke.
Simons had to be stretchered off after colliding with Wolves defender Hugo Bueno in the 61st minute, while Solanke was substituted before half-time.
Simons has been ruled out for the remainder of the season as well as this summer’s World Cup after Spurs confirmed the Dutch midfielder had ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee.
Meanwhile, reports have since surfaced suggesting that Solanke is also set to miss the remaining four games of the season with a grade 2 hamstring injury.
Major blow: Tottenham striker Dominic Solanke could miss the rest of the season with a hamstring injury
PA
Richarlison took Solanke’s place at Molineux, and the Brazilian is expected to start against Villa, with De Zerbi saying he was unsure how many games Solanke would miss.
De Zerbi is contending with a mounting injury list and will hope that he can call upon Udogie and Vicario against Villa.
Vicario has been out since undergoing hernia surgery during the March international break, while Udogie was absent against Wolves with a muscle injury.
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It is unclear how long Udogie will be out, but De Zerbi insisted it was “not a big problem” when asked about the left-back’s fitness last week.
De Zerbi also confirmed that he expected Vicario to return to training early this week. Pape Matar Sarr will also be assessed, having missed the last two games with a shoulder injury.
Rumours suggesting that Randal Kolo Muani has suffered a hamstring injury are believed to be inaccurate, and the French forward is expected to bolster De Zerbi’s attacking options on Sunday.
Without Simons, De Zerbi has a decision to make about who replaces him.
He could opt to risk James Maddison, who has been named on the bench in the last two games, but has not played a competitive game in nearly a year.
Alternatively, Mathys Tel could be handed a rare start on the left wing, or Lucas Bergvall could reprise his role as the No10 in De Zerbi’s 4-2-3-1 formation.
Should Udogie be unavailable for selection, then Djed Spence is expected to keep his place at left-back, while Antonin Kinsky will continue in goal if Vicario is deemed unfit.
Spurs could find themselves five points adrift of safety by the time they kick off against Villa, if West Ham beat Brentford on Saturday afternoon.
Predicted Tottenham XI (4-2-3-1): Kinsky; Porro, Danso, Van de Ven, Spence; Bentancur, Bissouma; Kolo Muani, Bergvall, Tel; Richarlison
Doubts: Maddison, Udogie, Vicario, Sarr
Injured: Davies, Kulusevski, Odobert, Kudus, Romero, Simons, Solanke
Time and date: 7pm BST on Sunday May 3, 2026
Venue: Villa Park
How to watch: TNT Sports
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