Maddison and Udogie cleared for Crystal Palace as De Zerbi names four Spurs absentees
James Maddison will be in the Tottenham squad for Saturday’s visit of Crystal Palace after all. Roberto De Zerbi used his Friday press conference to clear the playmaker, a week after he limped out of the win at Stamford Bridge, and confirmed that Destiny Udogie is back in contention as well.
Maddison cleared despite a broken week
Maddison went off early in the second half of the 2-0 victory over Chelsea, and given what he has been through over the past 18 months, the sight of him hobbling away caused plenty of nerves around N17. BBC Sport reports that the 29 year old was withdrawn in the 51st minute, having spent the bulk of the previous campaign recovering from a torn ACL and then fractured a shoulder against Brentford on the opening weekend of this campaign. We covered the initial concern in our report after the Chelsea game.
De Zerbi admitted the midfielder’s preparation has not been normal, but he sounded relaxed about it.
“This week he didn’t work like the other players, but for tomorrow he is available and he is a special player for us,” the head coach said.
He also explained why a couple of missed sessions do not worry him too much: “So, I think it’s not a problem if he loses two days [training], but then we have to analyse if we take the risk or not.” That last line suggests a decision on whether Maddison starts or is held back for the bench will be made closer to kick off.
Since returning to the starting line up, Maddison has been part of back to back league wins, with his stunning strike in the 3-1 victory over Coventry followed by the trip across London. Those results have lifted Spurs out of the relegation places and up to 14th.
Udogie back, four still missing
Udogie has sat out the last two matches with a knee problem picked up in the draw with Manchester United, and De Zerbi confirmed the Italian full back is fit enough to be involved. “He [Udogie] is available. That is another problematic player in terms of injuries,” he told reporters, according to football.london.
The bad news is limited to four names. “Still out [are] Tosin, [Lucas] Bergvall, [Mykhailo] Mudryk. Savio is injured. Everyone else is available,” De Zerbi said.
Bergvall is still nursing the knee injury he suffered against United, while Mudryk has not played since early September because of an ankle issue and Savio continues to manage a muscle complaint, the Evening Standard adds.
Porro and Tel give De Zerbi more to think about
Pedro Porro, who came on as a substitute at Chelsea, is another welcome option on the right side of defence. De Zerbi was effusive about him: “Pedro is one of the biggest players. A great guy. Sensitive guy. Passionate guy. We are very lucky to have Pedro with us.”
Mathys Tel, whose superb finish sealed the win at Stamford Bridge, also earned praise from his manager, who said the young forward is “working very hard” and called him “a smart guy with big potential”.
Palace arrive in N17 under Pierre Sage, who replaced Oliver Glasner in the summer, after a difficult run in the league, although they did beat Fulham 1-0 in the Carabao Cup in midweek. Kick off at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is at 5.30pm GMT, which gives the medical staff the whole of Saturday to make a final call on Maddison.
