De Zerbi dismisses triple scare but Robertson’s fitness decides Spurs’ left side at Chelsea

Roberto De Zerbi insists there are no new injuries after Andy Robertson, Tosin Adarabioyo and Omar Marmoush all went off against Coventry. With Destiny Udogie already out with a knee problem, Robertson's fitness is the issue that shapes Tottenham's left flank at Stamford Bridge.

Andy Robertson’s fitness is the question hanging over Tottenham’s left flank before the trip to Chelsea. Against Coventry City, the club’s official line-up shows Davies coming on for the left-back on 69 minutes. Tosin Adarabioyo was replaced by Mateus Fernandes after 71 minutes and Marmoush gave way to Mathys Tel after 87 minutes.

The scenes were concerning. Robertson seemed to go down with a hamstring problem, Tosin had to be assessed as he left the pitch and Marmoush was seen holding his right calf, the Evening Standard reported. ESPN’s match report described Spurs as losing Robertson and Tosin to injuries, with Marmoush going down after that.

The head coach read the situation differently. Asked about fresh injury concerns, he was clear that nothing serious had emerged from the evening.

Udogie’s knee leaves Davies as the only obvious cover

Robertson’s fitness carries extra weight because Udogie is already sidelined. De Zerbi explained before kick-off that Udogie hurt his knee at Old Trafford and that the club chose not to risk him, Sports Mole reported. Knee and hamstring problems also limited Udogie to 20 Premier League appearances last season.

Injuries have already reshaped the side. De Zerbi told BBC Sport he used a back three because of them, with Kudus playing on the right wing and Robertson on the left. If Robertson cannot make Saturday, Davies is the only obvious option on that side. Davies made an emphatic case off the bench, scoring Spurs’ third in the sixth minute of stoppage time after goals from James Maddison (14) and Marmoush (59), with Jack Rudoni (50) replying for Coventry in front of 60,913.

A crowded treatment room tempers a morale-boosting win

The absentee list stretches well beyond the left-back position. At his pre-match press conference on 18 October, De Zerbi ruled Lucas Bergvall out with a knee problem from the Manchester United draw and said Savio would miss some weeks with a muscle injury. Pedro Porro was not yet fit after a thigh injury but might return the following week, the Premier League’s preview said. Simons and Odobert are also unavailable.

There were encouraging returns amid the worry. Dejan Kulusevski came back after 526 days out injured, Sky Sports reported. The game was also Tosin’s first full Premier League appearance for Spurs and Maddison’s first competitive start since April 2025, according to the Evening Standard.

Answers on Robertson, Tosin and Marmoush will come quickly. Chelsea host Tottenham on Saturday 24 October, kicking off at 17:30 live on Sky Sports, according to the Premier League.

Source material

Predicted line-ups for Tottenham Hotspur v Coventry City (Premier League)

All 380 fixtures for 2026/27 Premier League season (Premier League)

Roberto De Zerbi issues triple Tottenham fitness update as injuries pile up after Coventry win (Evening Standard (via AOL))

Tottenham hit with fresh injury worry as Roberto De Zerbi explains Destiny Udogie absence (Evening Standard (via AOL))

Stamford Bridge: Arne Müseler, CC BY-SA 3.0 de, via Wikimedia Commons