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Roberto De Zerbi is dealing with a lengthy injury list as he fights to keep Tottenham in the Premier League

Latest Tottenham injuries: Rodrigo Bentancur, Micky van de Ven and Dominic Solanke

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Tashan Deniran-Alleyne

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

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Tottenham will look to build on victory over Aston Villa when they face Leeds next Monday.

Spurs produced, arguably, their best performance of the season at the weekend to win 2-1 at Villa Park and climb out of the Premier League relegation zone in the process.

Goals from Conor Gallagher and Richarlison were enough to secure back-to-back wins for Tottenham and further boost hopes of avoiding the drop.

With West Ham losing to Brentford and facing title challengers Arsenal next, there is a chance for Spurs to really grab hold of the relegation battle and secure survival before the final game of the season.

While Rodrigo Bentancur was forced off in the second half against Villa, it was an evening of positives for Roberto De Zerbi, particularly on the injury front with Destiny Udogie and Pape Matar Sarr returning to action.

With that in mind, here’s the latest Tottenham injury news and potential return dates...

Rodrigo Bentancur

As mentioned above, Bentancur had to be substituted midway through the second half against Villa after receiving treatment from the Tottenham medical staff on the pitch.

Given Spurs’ rotten injury record this season, it is no surprise that supporters will have been concerned about a fresh setback.

However, De Zerbi confirmed in the post-match press conference that the Uruguay international is fine.

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“Bentancur, just tired,” De Zerbi told reporters.

Potential return date: Monday, May 11, vs Leeds (H)

Micky van de Ven

Micky van de Ven was spotted limping late on as Spurs conceded in stoppage time to a Emiliano Buendia header which proved to be nothing more than a consolation.

Asked about the the Dutchman’s fitness, De Zerbi confirmed that Van de Ven had also come through the game unscathed.

Potential return date: Monday, May 11, vs Leeds (H)

Xavi Simons

Xavi Simons will not play for Tottenham again this season after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in his right knee during the vital 1-0 win over Wolves.

The Dutch attacking midfielder appeared to jar his knee in the turf when trying to regain his balance, and promptly collapsed to the pitch in agony.

A lengthy spell of treatment followed pitchside before Simons tried and failed to walk, and was then stretchered off the pitch.

Simons has since confirmed that his season is over, along with his World Cup dream.

“They say life can be cruel and today it feels that way. My season has come to an abrupt end and I’m just trying to process it,” Simons wrote on Instagram.

“Honestly, I’m heartbroken. None of it makes sense. All I’ve wanted to do is fight for my team and now the ability to do that has been snatched away from me, along with the World Cup.”

Season over: Xavi Simons

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Simons is expected to be sidelined for a lengthy period, potentially not returning before the end of 2026.

Potential return date: Unknown

Dominic Solanke

After Dominic Solanke was substituted before half-time in the win over Wolves, reports then suggested that the striker had suffered a grade 2 hamstring injury and would miss the remainder of the season.

Asked for an update on Solanke’s fitness on Friday, De Zerbi said: “I don’t know yet (if he is out for the rest of the season). Villa no.”

Potential return date: Unknown

Cristian Romero

Cristian Romero is out for the season after suffering a serious knee injury against Sunderland last month.

He collided with Antonin Kinsky following a push from Brian Brobbey, and was forced off, with De Zerbi later confirming he would not return this campaign and is in a race to be fit for the World Cup.

“I don’t know if there is a chance to play one game, two games, I don’t know. I hope so. But I don’t know,” De Zerbi said.

“But for him, I would like it if he can be available to play in the World Cup, especially for an Argentinian player. They feel the national team more than Italian players or other nations.”

Potential return date: June 2026

Mohammed Kudus

Mohammed Kudus, who has been out since January, will not play again for Spurs this season after suffering a setback on his recovery.

Spurs confirmed in a statement at the start of April that they were assessing whether the Ghana international would need to undergo surgery.

But when pressed on whether the club had made a decision, Roberto De Zerbi said he had yet to speak to the doctors.

“I don’t know [if Kudus will require surgery],” he told reporters. “Not spoken with the doctor about the Kudus situation.”

Potential return date: Unknown

Guglielmo Vicario

De Zerbi has been hoping to welcome goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario back to training for a couple of weeks now after hernia surgery.

The procedure was timed so as to disrupt the Italian’s campaign as little as possible, but he has now missed four Premier League matches in a row.

Spurs have significant time before their next game, so perhaps Vicario will be back for the huge fixture against Leeds.

Potential return date: Monday, May 11, vs Leeds (H)

Dejan Kulusevski

Dejan Kulusevski is still aiming to be fit to play for Sweden at this summer’s World Cup.

Kulusevski has not played for Tottenham since undergoing surgery on a patella injury in May 2025, and last underwent further surgery on his knee in February this year.

He is yet to return to training, and Roberto De Zerbi hopes the play is soon able to get back on the pitch for club or country.

Hopeful: Dejan Kulusevski

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"I'm sorry for him because he was one of my perfect players. He's a very specific player for me, like Kudus, like Romero,” De Zerbi said.

“I hope he can play in the World Cup because the World Cup for a player is a moment. It's the best period of his career. But I don't know the situation very well."

Potential return date: June 2026

James Maddison

James Maddison has now featured in three successive matchday squads without getting on the pitch.

De Zerbi confirmed ahead of the trip to Villa that he was unsure if the attacking midfielder would play for Tottenham before the season is over.

“I don't know, I would like to play with him, because he's a special player, he's a different player, but we have to consider the physical condition, a lot of things,” De Zerbi said in his pre-match press conference.

“But I think he can be important in the next three games.”

Wilson Odobert

Wilson Odobert saw his season cut short when he suffered an ACL rupture against Newcastle in February.

Potential return date: Autumn 2026

Ben Davies

Potential return date: Unknown

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Richarlison was also impressive as Spurs secure a huge win at Villa Park

Star man | Conor Gallagher

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Sam Tabuteau

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First-half goals from Conor Gallagher and Richarlison saw Tottenham move out of the relegation zone as they beat Aston Villa 2-1 at Villa Park.

Gallagher gave Spurs the lead inside 12 minutes as he rifled in from the edge of the box, and they doubled their lead after 25 minutes when Richarlison headed home Mathys Tel’s inswinging cross.

Emiliano Buendia grabbed a consolation for Villa in stoppage time with virtually the last kick of the game.

Sam Tabuteau rated the Spurs players at Villa Park…

Antonin Kinsky 6

Had very little to do, but will be frustrated to have lost his clean sheet in stoppage time. His composure and passing gave Spurs a platform in possession.

Pedro Porro 6

Was not as involved going forward as he typically likes to be, but defended well to allow Udogie to push on.

Kevin Danso 7

Danso’s aggression and composure meant Villa rarely threatened despite scoring late on.

Micky van de Ven 8

Nullified Villa excellently after the break. Recovered well to come across and tackle Tammy Abraham as he threatened to break clear. Serenaded late on by the away support.

Leading by example: Micky van de Ven

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Destiny Udogie 7

Stretched the game in behind and linked up well with Tel. As Villa sat back, Udogie became more involved going forward.

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Joao Palhinha 8

Tottenham’s midfield picked up every loose ball, and Palhinha came close to doubling the visitors’ lead when his long-range strike hit the post. Took pride in his defensive work, roaring intensely after winning the ball back in the second-half.

Conor Gallagher 9

Opened the scoring with a neatly taken strike from outside the box. Led the press for Spurs, even if his eagerness got the better of him at times. No player made more defensive contributions than the English midfielder.

Rodrigo Bentancur 7

His return to fitness has been a huge boost for Spurs. Helped dictate the midfield battle alongside Gallagher and Palhinha.

Randal Kolo Muani 7

Had the run of Ian Maatsen all game and looked to burst past him at every opportunity. Battled hard in and out of possession. One of his best performances of the season.

Mathys Tel 8

Starting for the first time since the end of March, Tel took his opportunity to impress. His superb inswinging cross gave Richarlison an easy finish.

Richarlison 8

Doubled Spurs’ lead by heading in from Tel’s inswinging cross. Coming in for the injured Dominic Solanke, he led the line excellently.

On target: Richarlison

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Substitutes:

Yves Bissouma 6

Shored up Spurs’ midfield in the second-half, continuing where Bentancur had left off. Chased hard without seeing much of the ball.

Djed Spence 6

Important that Spurs did not lose their intensity after making changes to their side, and Spence did not miss a beat. Mature performance.

Lucas Bergvall N/A

Pape Matar Sarr N/A

Unused substitutes:Austin, Dragusin, Maddison, Gray, Souza.

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Spurs leapfrog London rivals West Ham in the Premier League table, with survival now in their own hands

Jonathan Veal

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Tottenham looked like a team destined to secure Premier League survival after they beat a dire Aston Villa 2-1 to move out of the bottom three.

Spurs put in their best performance of the season to claim three crucial points at Villa Park, thanks to first-half goals from Conor Gallagher and Richarlison.

They look a different side under Roberto De Zerbi, registering back-to-back league victories for the first time since August, and are now favourites to beat the drop.

The north London club leapfrogged West Ham in the table and with a home game to come against Leeds, after the Hammers host Arsenal, their position could be even rosier next week.

The way they pressed and won back possession all over the pitch was reminiscent of De Zerbi’s Brighton, giving every indication Spurs will be a top flight team next season.

They were fortunate to come up against a Villa side who produced their worst display of the season, with their attention clearly on Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg against Nottingham Forest.

Indeed, Villa were so bad they scored in the sixth minute of time added on with their only effort on target, with Emiliano Buendia heading home.

Unai Emery’s men still have their league business to look after, though, and missed the chance to all but seal a Champions League spot for next season.

Tottenham came into the game buoyed by West Ham’s 3-0 defeat at Brentford on Saturday and they will have been further enthused when they saw a Villa side featuring seven changes from their midweek loss to Forest in Europe.

They were the better team from the off and had a great chance to open the scoring inside two minutes.

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Gallagher pressed well and forced Villa into a mistake playing out from the back, with the ball finding Richarlison 12 yards out, but his shot was blocked.

A deserved lead came in the 12th minute as Gallagher scored his first goal for the club.

A long throw was headed out to the on-loan Atletico Madrid midfielder, who slammed a 25-yard shot into the bottom corner.

Spurs were within inches of making it 2-0 five minutes later. Paulinha shot from distance and his low 20-yard shot was heading into the bottom corner until Emiliano Martinez tipped it onto the post.

Villa were abject and were again reliant on their Argentinian goalkeeper to keep the deficit at one as he palmed Randal Kolo Muani’s far-post effort over the crossbar.

However, from the resulting 25th minute corner, Spurs doubled their advantage.

Tel’s cross was begging to be converted and Richarlison obliged, nodding into an empty net after Martinez went walkabout.

Spurs were in dreamland and deserved every bit of their success.

They were quicker, stronger and smarter than their opponents, who looked like their hearts were not in it.

Villa did not improve after the break either and failed to test Spurs goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky until late on, when Buendia headed home Matty Cash’s cross.

But this was to be Tottenham’s night as they made a big move towards securing survival.

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Roberto De Zerbi is without Dominic Solanke and Guglielmo Vicario for Tottenham’s trip to Aston Villa this evening.

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, but buoyed by West Ham’s defeat at Brentford on Saturday.

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.

Spurs’ victory against Wolves was overshadowed by injuries in each half to Xavi Simons and 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.

Richarlison took Solanke’s place at Molineux, and the Brazilian is handed a 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 still will not be able to call upon Vicario against Villa, with the Italian remaining on the sidelines since undergoing hernia surgery during the March international break.

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Another chance for Spurs to climb out of the relegation zone

Arthur Ferridge

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

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Tottenham have been handed fresh momentum in their fight to stay in the Premier League as they travel to face Aston Villa.

Roberto De Zerbi’s side remain in the relegation zone, two points adrift of safety, but could climb out of the bottom three with victory at Villa Park after West Ham were thumped 3-0 at Brentford.

Last weekend’s narrow defeat of Wolves, which ended a 15-match winless run, was not enough to quell relegation fears but De Zerbi will hope to at least build some momentum ahead of the run-in.

Villa, meanwhile, are at the business end of the Europa League, with this match coming between the two legs of their semi-final against Nottingham Forest, in which they trail 1-0 from the first leg. They are also need to win two of their last four league games to be certain of Champions League qualification next season.

Date, kick-off time and venue

Aston Villa vs Tottenham is scheduled for a 7pm BST kick-off tonight, Sunday, May 3, 2026.

The match will take place at Villa Park in Birmingham.

Where to watch Aston Villa vs Tottenham

TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 6pm BST ahead of a 7pm kick-off.

Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the HBO Max app and website.

Live blog: You can follow all the action on matchday via Standard Sport’s live blog, with expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau.

Aston Villa vs Tottenham team news

Tottenham have not had a full complement at their disposal at any point of this campaign, and that fact will not change in Birmingham.

Xavi Simons is the latest man sidelined with an ACL rupture, and he joins Cristian Romero and Mohammed Kudus in being out until the end of the campaign.

Dominic Solanke will miss out with a hamstring injury, while Roberto De Zerbi is optimistic Destiny Udogie can feature.

Pape Matar Sarr is a doubt with a shoulder injury, while Guglielmo Vicario remains sidelined after undergoing hernia surgery.

James Maddison has been named to a couple of matchday squads this season after recovering from an ACL surgery, but is not yet thought to be match fit. Dejan Kulusevski remains out with a long-term knee injury, with Wilson Odobert and Ben Davies completing the sidelined contingent.

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Villa, meanwhile, may look to rest key players in this match ahead of Thursday’s Europa League semi-final second leg.

Two players will certainly play no part, though, with Alysson and Boubacar Kamara ruled out with injuries. Amadou Onana is a doubt after being forced off against Forest.

Xavi Simons ruptured his ACL in the win over Wolves

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Aston Villa vs Tottenham prediction

Tottenham’s laborious win over Wolves at the weekend will have done little to inspire supporters.

De Zerbi’s men flattered to deceive against the already-relegated Midlanders, and will face much stiffer opposition here.

Villa, of course, will be tired from their first-leg against Forest and thinking primarily of the second, but should have no great issues dispatching Spurs.

Aston Villa to win, 2-0.

Head to head (h2h) history and results

Villa have won each of their last four matches against Tottenham by an aggregate score of 8-3.

Aston Villa wins: 62

Tottenham wins: 78

Draws: 34

Aston Villa vs Tottenham match odds

Aston Villa to win: 1/1

Tottenham to win: 2/1

Draw: 21/10

Odds via Betfair (subject to change).

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Spurs boss out to quickly shift perceptions as West Ham defeat offers chance to escape bottom three

Defiant: Roberto De Zerbi believes that Tottenham can win all of their remaining games this season

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Sam Tabuteau

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The walls may be closing in on Tottenham, with just four games left to save themselves from relegation.

But Roberto De Zerbi wants to “silence the voice inside of us” and focus on “ourselves and the quality of my players” heading into the final month of the season.

Even after recording their first Premier League win of the calendar year against Wolves last weekend, the overwhelming feeling around the club has once again been one of negativity.

A season-ending injury for Xavi Simons, who became the third player to see his campaign prematurely curtailed since De Zerbi took charge, has been the main talking point ahead of Sunday’s trip to Aston Villa.

Spurs had seemingly found a solution to their creativity issues before Simons was stretchered off with an anterior cruciate ligament injury at Molineux. Not for the first time this season, it was one step forward and two steps back.

The idea of drafting James Maddison in for his first competitive appearance in 12 months has been floated, but De Zerbi is not convinced.

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“I would like to play with him, because he's a special player, he's a different player, but we have to consider the physical condition,” the Italian said in his pre-Villa press conference.

What De Zerbi is convinced of, however, is Spurs’ chances of staying up. He still believes they can win all of their remaining games.

“It is possible because we have good players,” he said. “We have Pedro Porro, we have [Destiny] Udogie, we have Micky van de Ven, we have [Rodrigo] Bentancur, we have [Joao] Palhinha, we have [Conor] Gallagher.”

De Zerbi’s belief has never waned since taking the reins from Igor Tudor. He knows how quickly things can change at the bottom of the table and West Ham’s 3-0 defeat at Brentford on Saturday has offered renewed hope.

At one stage last weekend, Spurs briefly smelled the rarified air of Premier League safety after Palhinha gave De Zerbi’s side the lead at Wolves before Everton equalised late on at the London Stadium to see Tottenham temporarily move out of the relegation zone.

Callum Wilson’s stoppage-time winner put a stop to Spurs’ celebrations. But having been offered a snapshot of what survival might look like, De Zerbi is keen to chase that feeling.

He is positive yet realistic, accepting of the club’s situation but unwilling to dwell on or “cry” about the past.

“I want to be realistic,” he said. “It's different being positive. (I am) not positive because today is sunny, it's Italian weather, and I'm positive, no, no.

“I want to be realistic, and for that, I feel this pressure to change the perspective. The same perspective you can see in different ways.”

De Zerbi admits the responsibility of keeping Spurs, a club who have not been relegated to the second division in nearly 50 years, in the Premier League is weighing on him.

He is watching everything. From Crystal Palace’s injury list ahead of their match with West Ham last Monday to the rolling news coverage on Spurs’ plight.

Ultimately, though, De Zerbi is not prepared to see his team branded as “losers” because “losers cry”, and, long-term, that is a habit that becomes hard to shake.

De Zerbi wants to end this torturous campaign with “no regrets”, so Spurs will “attack” the final four games of the season rather than accepting their fate.

With everything seemingly conspiring against them, De Zerbi is determined to shift the perception around the club.

Spurs have to face Villa, Leeds, Chelsea and Everton before the end of the season.

Their fiercest opponent, though, is in their heads. De Zerbi knows that personality can power Spurs over the line.

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Roberto De Zerbi earned his first win as Spurs boss at Wolves last weekend thanks to Joao Palhinha’s late strike at Molineux.

West Ham’s 2-1 victory over Everton quickly dashed the optimism that stemmed from Spurs’ first league win of the calendar year, but the Irons’ most recent result could give the north Londoners some reason to be positive.

Tottenham occupy the final place in the relegation zone, with Burnley and Wolves already fallen through the trap door into the Championship next term.

Spurs are two points of their London rivals, and have the chance to leapfrog them above the dreaded dotted line today after the Hammers’ 3-0 defeat at Brentford.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side were thrashed at the Gtech Community Stadium as the Bees continued their surprise challenge for a European finish.

Should Spurs beat Villa today, they would jump above West Ham into safety, and that result would see Nuno’s men fall precariously into the bottom three.

TV channel: In the UK, the game will be televised live on TNT Sports 1, with coverage starting at 6pm BST ahead of a 7pm kick-off.

Live stream: TNT Sports subscribers can also catch the contest live online via the HBO Max app and website.

The 21-year-old has yet to start under De Zerbi, having also failed to nail down a regular starting berth under Igor Tudor and Thomas Frank.

He could, however, be handed an opportunity for more minutes following the news that Xavi Simons will miss the remainder of the season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

De Zerbi has always insisted that while Tel has not featured regularly since he took over from Tudor a month ago, he believes in the Frenchman’s talent.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, De Zerbi described Tel as “one of the best young players in Europe” and suggested he could be in line for a rare start away to Aston Villa on Sunday evening.

“He is a potential big player, a potential big talent at the moment and we have to help him become a top player because he has the right qualities to do that,” De Zerbi said.

“I’m sorry because I use him in not his favourite position, because he played two games as a right winger, against Wolves and Brighton. His favourite position is left winger but for example at Wolves he was important to win the corner for the goal.

“Now maybe without Xavi and Maddison and Odobert and all the other players he can feel more comfortable because he can prepare his game for one week without the thoughts of whether he plays or not. The responsibilities can be better for us and for him.”

He left Bayern in search of more regular game time, but played a bit-part role as Spurs lifted the Europa League last season and saw the majority of his minutes come in the Premier League, with Ange Postecoglou prioritising Europe.

Tel, who has started just nine league games this season, has seen his development stall and his World Cup aspirations vanish this term.

“I don’t know (if he can fulfil his potential) but it can be the right moment for him. The players become great when they understand the right moment to become better,” De Zerbi continued.

“Xavi in my time spent the time and was becoming great, and I could feel something different from him in personality and confidence, in performances as well.

“I don’t know if the credit is mine but maybe he understood the right position, had the right confidence and the ideas of the coach so he made the most of the opportunity.”