Tottenham Pre-Season Double-Header Against Hoffenheim
Tottenham step up their pre-season preparations this weekend with a double-header against Hoffenheim that will test both Roberto De Zerbi’s plans and his squad depth.
Double shift for De Zerbi’s squad
The Bundesliga side visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium today, before the clubs do it all again less than 24 hours later in a behind-closed-doors match at Hotspur Way. It’s a demanding schedule by design.
De Zerbi is expected to roll out two almost entirely different XIs across the two games. Those who start or log heavy minutes in front of fans today are likely to sit out tomorrow, with the players left on the fringes or unused getting their turn in the quieter setting on Sunday. The objective is clear: squeeze every last bit of fitness and sharpness out of the group before the Premier League kicks off next weekend.
Tottenham remain unbeaten in pre-season, but that record carries a small asterisk. Their most recent outing, another closed-door exercise against Getafe last Saturday, ended in a 1-1 draw and was only played over 70 minutes. Later that same day, several of those who did not feature – including new arrivals Mateus Fernandes and Marcos Senesi – were put through an in-house friendly to keep their minutes ticking over.
Even with two separate friendlies on the slate, though, some names were conspicuous by their absence.
Maddison and Van de Ven concerns linger
James Maddison has yet to kick a ball in pre-season. The midfielder is in the frame to inherit the captain’s armband once Cristian Romero completes his move to Atletico Madrid, but for now he remains in the treatment and conditioning phase.
Spurs are refusing to rush him. Maddison is still working back from the anterior cruciate ligament injury that wiped out most of his previous campaign, and the club are taking a cautious route to avoid any repeat.
Micky van de Ven, another leading contender for the captaincy and fresh from signing a lucrative new contract, has also been missing from De Zerbi’s matchday plans since he returned from extended post-World Cup leave. There is no clarity yet on whether the defender is carrying a fitness issue, but De Zerbi will be eager to involve him in some capacity across the Hoffenheim fixtures.
Those absences cast a small shadow over what is otherwise a carefully managed build-up.
Porro returns to centre stage
One returning star, though, is ready to step straight back into the spotlight. World Cup winner Pedro Porro is expected to feature after rejoining the squad this week to a guard of honour at the training ground.
The 26-year-old, who signed a new long-term contract in June, is set for a central role in De Zerbi’s blueprint. He will be the undisputed first-choice right-back, with Djed Spence poised to depart for Inter Milan. Both Spence and current captain Romero are set to miss the Hoffenheim clashes as they finalise moves away from the club, Romero having travelled to Madrid for his Atletico medical.
That changing of the guard only heightens Porro’s importance in the coming campaign.
Kudus on the brink of long-awaited return
There is also quiet optimism around Mohammed Kudus. The forward has not played since January after suffering a serious quad injury, but he has now returned to full-team training and could see his first minutes of the year across the Hoffenheim double-header.
Spurs are handling him carefully. De Zerbi has already admitted the club rushed Kudus back once, a decision that contributed to the setback he suffered in April. This time, they will not gamble.
Two games in two days, a handful of key absentees, a couple of potential comebacks and the captaincy up in the air – Tottenham’s weekend friendlies may be billed as warm-ups, but they will tell De Zerbi plenty about who is truly ready for opening day.
