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Winless and goalless Spurs hoping for major double boost against Aston Villa

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Tottenham still have a number of injury issues persisting as they desperately bid to spark their season into life.

Despite a lavish summer transfer outlay in excess of £300million, and optimism surrounding Roberto De Zerbi’s first full campaign in charge, it has been another hugely disappointing start for Spurs.

Tottenham have yet to even score a single goal in four Premier League outings so far this term, let alone pick up any wins.

Their sole success came in the Carabao Cup second round demolition of Charlton, though they were quickly bounced out before the last 16 on Tuesday night after a 3-1 loss to Liverpool at Anfield.

Spurs host similarly out-of-form Aston Villa in the lunchtime top-flight kick-off in north London this weekend, seeking to finally kick-start their season ahead of an extended three-week international break, after which they face the likes of Manchester United and Chelsea.

Here is all the latest Tottenham injury news and return dates ahead of Saturday’s meeting with Unai Emery’s side.

Sandro Tonali

Tottenham’s biggest question mark ahead of facing Villa surrounds their headline £100million club-record signing.

Tonali has started every Premier League game since his high-profile arrival at Spurs from Newcastle in the summer, but missed Tuesday’s defeat at Liverpool after De Zerbi revealed that he had sustained an unspecified knock.

Spurs will hope that Tonali can play some part against Villa, with De Zerbi expected to deliver a new update on his fitness at Friday’s pre-match press conference.

Potential return date: Saturday September 19, vs Aston Villa (H)

Question mark: It remains to be seen if Sandro Tonali will return for Tottenham

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Pedro Porro

One piece of positive injury news for Tottenham concerns first-choice right-back Porro.

The Spanish World Cup winner has started only twice for Spurs so far this season following his extended post-tournament break, before missing the games against Everton and Liverpool with what De Zerbi described as a “small muscular problem”.

He did not want to take any risks and so Porro did not feature at Anfield, but De Zerbi confirmed after the match that he would be back against Villa.

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Potential return date: Saturday September 19, vs Aston Villa (H)

Dejan Kulusevski

The long wait for Kulusevski’s Tottenham return continues. The Swedish international has not featured at all since May 2025 due to a long-term knee injury.

While he recently returned to first-team training, he has seemingly not been able to work consistently and De Zerbi confirmed before the Everton stalemate that Kulusevski had not been training with the team in the last week.

However, he said that was to be expected after such a long lay-off and was not due to any further setback.

Kulusevski will not be involved against Villa and it remains to be seen at what point after the international break that he might be in a position to play.

Potential return date: Unknown

Injury nightmare: Dejan Kulusevski has not played for Tottenham since May 2025

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Mykhailo Mudryk

Chelsea loanee Mudryk made his first competitive appearance since November 2024 off the bench in the recent goalless draw at Nottingham Forest, having resolved his anti-doping disciplinary proceedings with the Football Association (FA) over the summer.

However, he then promptly suffered an ankle injury during training that a frustrated De Zerbi labelled as “stupid”.

Mudryk is expected to be sidelined for around six to eight weeks, meaning he is unlikely to return until late October or early November, around which time Spurs face the likes of parent club Chelsea, Crystal Palace and Leeds in the Premier League.

Potential return date: Late October or early November

Xavi Simons

Simons remains on the comeback trail after rupturing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during Tottenham’s important win at Wolves in April, missing the Netherlands’ World Cup campaign following surgery.

He is not expected to return to action until early 2027.

Potential return date: Early 2027

Wilson Odobert

Like Simons, fellow attacker Odobert is a long-term absentee for Spurs having ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee during the loss to Newcastle back in February.

He was reportedly expected to miss approximately nine months, which would see him potentially play some part in late November or December.

Potential return date: November or December

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North Londoners broke duck against top-flight opposition

Sam Tabuteau, Sports Reporter

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Tottenham crashed out of the Carabao Cup as they were beaten 3-1 by a youthful Liverpool side at Anfield.

Spurs had enjoyed the better of the chances, but the hosts took the lead when Alexis Mac Allister curled home superbly from the top of the 18-yard box.

The home side then doubled their lead in the 54th minute as Cody Gakpo bent a right-footed shot into the far corner.

The visitors got a goal back when Conor Gallagher headed in from close range from Mateus Fernandes’ set piece, but Dominik Szoboszlai settled the tie with a thunderous half-volley as the Merseysiders coasted into round four.

Sam Tabuteau rated the Spurs players on another frustrating evening…

Shaky: Marcos Senesi

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Martin Dubravka 5: Made a good save from Lewis Koumas, and there was nothing he could do about the goals. Did not help himself at times, though, when playing out from the back.

Archie Gray 5: Knew exactly what Gakpo was going to do yet could not stop him from doubling Liverpool’s lead. Got forward well, but looked vulnerable defensively.

Tosin Adarabioyo 5: The more solid of the two central defenders, yet still should have been punished for a slack pass into the path of Szoboszlai.

Marcos Senesi 4: Combined some neat passes through the lines with some shaky moments when receiving the ball out from the back. A jittery performance from the Argentine, who showed his lack of match sharpness.

Destiny Udogie 7: An important outlet down the left. He set up Spurs’ two best chances, first cutting the ball back for Lucas Bergvall before crossing to the near post for Mohammed Kudus to fire over. On a night where Spurs’ defence creaked, the Italian remained a reliable and physical presence.

Rodrigo Bentancur 5: Could not really get up to speed, losing four of six ground duels and was replaced by Mateus Fernandes before the hour mark.

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Lucas Bergvall 6: Had to score when found free in the area by Udogie. Overall commanded himself well, though, and provided some nice driving runs as Spurs enjoyed the better of the play in the first-half.

Frustrating: Mathys Tel

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Conor Gallagher 7: Got Spurs back into the game with the simplest of finishes from a corner. Constantly looked to play forward in possession. A much improved attacking display from the Englishman.

Mohammed Kudus 7: Some bright moments on his return to the starting lineup but lacked that sharpness, as is to be expected after eight months out. Drew a good save from Giorgi Mamardashvili but should have scored when getting on the end of Udogie’s near post cross.

Mathys Tel 4: Back in the team, but the same old issues. Completed just two of his five attempted dribbles and constantly ran into trouble.

Omar Marmoush 5: Plenty of running and carved out a good chance for Kudus after weaving his way past a couple of challenges to the edge of the area. As ever, though, he found chances of his own hard to come by until a late shot was well saved by Mamardashvili.

Subs:

Impact: Mateus Fernandes

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Mateus Fernandes 7: Made an almost immediate impact when his corner was missed by Mamardashvili and headed in by Gallagher. His quality in possession made a real difference.

Andy Robertson 6: A warm welcome on his return to Anfield, but the scoreline certainly helped the home crowd’s sense of goodwill. A useful attacking threat but Spurs could not force an equaliser.

James Maddison 6: Gave Liverpool something to think about, but was not able to provide the finishing touch Spurs needed.

Savio 6: Bundled his way into the area and should have tested Mamardashvili late on. All energy but no end product.

Dominic Solanke N/A: came on to give Spurs a focal point but they could not carve out any chances for him.

Unused subs: Kinsky, Van Hecke, Van de Ven, Davies

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The Italian took his new, expensively assembled squad back to Bacchanalia in the hopes of sparking a reaction and said it was a “pleasure” to pay for dinner, so long as “I keep the money just for the cigarette.”

De Zerbi has called on his players to relax and stop rushing their decision-making in the final third after a wasteful performance at home to Everton over the weekend, in which they started brightly but were held to a 0-0 draw.

The former Brighton manager has previously admitted his side are struggling with a mental block, but he reinforced his belief in his players while imploring them to take more responsibility.

“Maybe I’m not objective with my players, but my opinion about my players is maybe different to your opinion. I think they are very good players,” De Zerbi continued.

“If we want to change from the last two or three seasons we have to be stronger here (points to his head) and believe in the quality of the players and the decisions we made one month ago. Or we change. You can change players or change coaches, change, change, change, change, and nothing changes. Or you stay with the head, stay humble, with the right spirit to work. I believe in my players. I hope they believe in themselves like I believe in them.”

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Tottenham Edition

Your weekly briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau

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Tottenham will be without Sandro Tonali and Pedro Porro for Tuesday’s trip to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup, while wantaway striker Richarlison remains frozen out after failing to secure a move away from the club.

Spurs travel to Anfield looking to secure their place in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup, but face yet more injury woes as they search for a morale-boosting victory.

Following successive 0-0 draws against Nottingham Forest and Everton, Spurs are desperate for a result at a ground where they have not tasted victory in 15 years.

If their task was not already hard enough, the absence of Tonali and Porro has only served to further deplete a squad struggling for fitness after a disrupted pre-season.

Roberto De Zerbi confirmed that Tonali had picked up a minor knock following the draw with Everton, while Porro is continuing to struggle with a muscular issue that saw him miss out at the weekend.

The Spurs boss did, however, reveal that Destiny Udogie was back after being left out of the squad against Everton as a precaution.

Sandro Tonali will play no part for Tottenham at Anfield

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Richarlison, though, will continue to be left out in the cold despite being eligible for selection in the Carabao Cup.

The Brazilian striker expressed his desire to leave Spurs this summer and was subsequently left out of the club’s Premier League squad.

Richarlison and Spurs tried to facilitate an exit during the closing days of the transfer window, but a move failed to materialise, leaving the former Everton hitman in limbo.

Despite being available for selection, De Zerbi confirmed Richarlison would not make the trip to Merseyside, while adding that long-term absentee Dejan Kulusevski was still not ready to return.

“No, Kulusevski not available. Pedro is still not available. Udogie yes. Richarlison, you already know everything, nothing changed for the Carabao Cup or Premier League. The situation is the same,” De Zerbi said in his pre-match press conference on Monday.

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Spurs are expected to rotate against Liverpool, and De Zerbi admitted there could potentially be minutes for young academy winger Luca Williams-Barnett.

“I don't know, Luca. We have to see because many players need to play. Maybe not 90 minutes, 90 minutes, but 30 minutes a real game is important. Yes, there is not Sandro Tonali. I forgot to say because he felt a knock.”

De Zerbi has plenty of selection headaches as he grapples with whether to name a near full-strength team, while also managing the minutes of several key first-team players.

Among some of the other fitness concerns the Italian is currently balancing, he admitted Mateus Fernandes, Conor Gallagher and Mohammed Kudus were all short of full match fitness.

Tottenham predicted XI: Dubravka,; Gray, Tosin, Senesi, Udogie; Bentancur, Bergvall, Gallagher; Kudus, Solanke, Marmoush

Injured: Simons, Odobert, Kulusevski, Tonali, Porro, Mudryk

Unavailable: Richarlison

Time and date: 8pm BST on Tuesday, September 15, 2026

Venue: Anfield, Liverpool

How to watch: Sky Sports and ITV

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Spurs hoping for double boost ahead of Carabao Cup trip to Liverpool

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Tottenham Edition

Your weekly briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau

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Tottenham’s winless - and goalless - run continued over the weekend with two more stars missing out through injury.

Full-backs Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie missed out due to a mixture of fitness niggles and load management, and Roberto De Zerbi has issued an update on the pair ahead of the trip to Anfield.

They were dealt a further blow on Monday when the Italian revealed that another star would also sit the midweek encounter out.

But, in positive news, James Maddison was able to return from injury ahead of Tuesday’s Carabao Cup fourth round tie against Andoni Iraola’s Liverpool.

Here is all the latest Tottenham injury news and potential return dates...

Pedro Porro

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Pedro Porro

Pedro Porro missed the visit of Everton due to a “small muscular problem”, with Spurs boss Roberto De Zerbi unwilling to take any risk with his players’ fitness.

“Pedro felt a small muscular problem, we have to see tomorrow if he’s available or not but in this moment I don’t want to take any risks. The same [with] Udogie,” the Spurs head coach said.

De Zerbi added that Porro’s run to the World Cup final with Spain, which La Roja won, means the right-back fitness will continue to be managed during the early stage of the season.

He said:“Pedro played a World Cup, a long World Cup and we already knew after the World Cup it could be a difficult management for him.”

In a fresh update on Monday, De Zerbi ruled the Spaniard out of the midweek match against Liverpool.

Potential return date: Saturday, September 19 vs Aston Villa (H)

Sandro Tonali

£100million man Tonali was ruled out by De Zerbi ahead of Spurs’ trip to Liverpool.

The midfielder picked up a knock in training ahead of the visit to Merseyside, but it is thought that he won’t be out for too much longer, and he should be fit for the weekend’s encounter with Aston Villa.

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Potential return date: Saturday, September 19 vs Aston Villa (H)

Slow start: Sandro Tonali

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Mykhailo Mudryk

Mykhailo Mudryk is expected to be out for between six to eight weeks after sustaining a blow to his left ankle in training this week.

De Zerbi lamented the injury as “stupid”, owing to the innocuous nature of the incident, which is set to keep Mudryk out until after the international break.

“It was a stupid injury of Mudryk, and we hope he can be back as soon as possible. For him and for us, for him because he suffered too much and for us because we lost one player, an important player.

“He played 20 minutes, 15 minutes in Nottingham, he played well, but it's the normal process when one player doesn't play for a long time.”

Potential return date: Saturday, October 19 vs Coventry (H)

Mykhailo Mudryk

PA

Dejan Kulusevski

Hopes over an imminent return for Dejan Kulusevski were raised earlier this week when Sweden manager Graham Potter stated that he was “very close” to playing after being kept out since May 2025 by a serious patella injury.

The former Juventus star had returned to full team training with Tottenham at the start of last week and was subsequently named in De Zerbi’s Premier League squad, though had to stop a few days later due to a small issue.

“No, Kulusevski is not working with us in the last week,” De Zerbi said in a new update on Friday. “Not a big problem, a normal problem when one player is out for a long time.”

On Monday, the Italian confirmed that the Swede would still be sidelined before the Carabao Cup clash against Liverpool.

Potential return date: Unknown

Xavi Simons

Xavi Simons is another to have suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury, having been ruled out since April.

It was initially hoped that the Dutch star could return to action in January, but De Zerbi has since put the player’s return date as late as March or April.

Asked for an update recently, the Spurs manager said: ”Xavi Simons... before March, April, he's not ready.”

Potential return date: April 2027

Wilson Odobert

Wilson Odobert tore his ACL in January, so will hope to return to action before Simons.

Spurs fans initially hoped to see the French winger back before the end of the year, but De Zerbi said: “Odobert is injured for a long time. Before February, March, he is not available.”

Potential return date: March 2027

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Italian under pressure after heavy summer spend

Sam Tabuteau, Sports Reporter

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When Roberto De Zerbi first arrived in England, he took the Premier League by storm with his unflinching personality and uncompromising style of play.

His Brighton team was intoxicating. They drew opponents in, then sprang into attack, often scoring in the blink of an eye as they streamed up the pitch before releasing a torrent of pace in behind.

De Zerbi’s success on the south coast was short but sweet, helping the Seagulls qualify for the Europa League before disagreements over the club’s direction in the transfer market saw him leave for Marseille, a club whose volatility even De Zerbi could not stand up to.

Given the relatively small sample size - he was only at the Amex Stadium for just under two seasons - the Italian left England as something of an enigma. His brand of football was exciting, but had he caught the league unawares?

Much of De Zerbi’s success rested on unpredictability, as managers tried and failed to decipher his coordinated pressing triggers. But debate raged about the long-term viability of a style that Premier League teams were increasingly leaving behind as they opted for more physicality and less possession.

Struggling: Tottenham

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These stylistic conversations mattered little in the cut-and-thrust of a relegation battle, as De Zerbi steered Tottenham to Premier League safety on the final day of last season.

But now, four games into what was supposed to be a bright new era, and without a goal or a win to show for a summer spend in excess of £300million, the question is whether De Zerbi is yesterday’s man.

After a frustrating stalemate at home to Everton on Saturday, their second successive 0-0 draw in a week, that question gathered yet more pace amid a smattering of boos at the full-time whistle.

Spurs have been determined to leave last season in the past, but supporters are not so quick to forget, and with little tangible on-pitch progress to cling to, their thinly veiled optimism is quickly fading.

The north Londoners have been marginally better than their results suggest and have shown signs of improvement since their opening weekend capitulation at Brentford. But the Premier League is relentless, and patience is running increasingly thin.

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De Zerbi has maintained that he needs time to build after a disrupted pre-season left his side physically unprepared. But for as long as Spurs go without a goal to their name, they will remain in the spotlight.

Everton had chances to earn a rare win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium over the weekend. Spurs, however, generally looked more resolute at the back, with Micky van de Ven and Jan Paul van Hecke now more comfortable as a centre-back pairing.

Slow start: Sandro Tonali

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Spurs also looked decidedly more connected and confident in the middle of the park, with Rodrigo Bentancur providing solidity at the base of midfield, while Sandro Tonali offered a few nice flourishes in possession.

Small improvements are, however, scant consolation at the minute. De Zerbi needs a win to ease the pressure and kickstart his stuttering first full season in charge.

Spurs have two games, away to Liverpool in the Carabao Cup and at home to fellow strugglers Aston Villa in the league on Saturday, before a three-week international break.

As much as he may want to cut the outside noise. De Zerbi simply can’t afford to go into such a notoriously stir-crazy interlude without a goal or a win to his name.

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