De Zerbi's Premier League Challenge with Spurs: A New Era Begins
Roberto De Zerbi walks into his first full Premier League season at Tottenham with the scars of last year still fresh and a transfer bill that screams expectation.
Spurs only just dodged relegation in 2025-26. Now they arrive at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday with £237 million of new talent and a very different mood. Survival is no longer the bar. It has to be revival.
De Zerbi’s reset at Spurs
Tottenham open away to Brentford at 5.30pm BST on August 22, a fixture that already feels like a temperature check on De Zerbi’s rebuild. The club have backed him heavily: Jan Paul van Hecke, Marcos Senesi, Andy Robertson and Sandro Tonali are all in line for competitive debuts.
This is not a gentle easing-in. It’s a hard launch.
Pre-season has not been straightforward. Matheus Fernandes has carried a calf issue but is expected to make the matchday squad. Micky Van de Ven and Destiny Udogie did not feature at all over the summer and are major doubts. Pedro Porro has only just returned to training after a successful World Cup and may have to settle for a place on the bench.
Then there’s James Maddison. Managed carefully after his ACL injury, he has played just 45 minutes in pre-season. Mohammed Kudus has been out since January with a thigh problem and will not be ready in time for this game. A deal for Manchester City’s Savinho is still not over the line.
So De Zerbi might turn to youth. With Kudus missing and no Savinho yet, highly rated Mikey Moore could be handed a start on the right wing.
Up front, Dominic Solanke is back in training after an ankle injury, but Richarlison is still expected to lead the line. Xavi Simons, Wilson Odobert and Dejan Kulusevski are all ruled out and remain some distance from a return.
Plenty of new faces. Plenty of absentees. De Zerbi’s first team sheet of the season will say a lot about his priorities.
Brentford steady, ambitious – and dangerous
While Spurs were clinging on last year, Brentford were thriving. Under Keith Andrews they finished ninth, matching their joint-highest Premier League placing. Stability, clarity and a clear identity carried them there.
They open the 2026-27 campaign at home, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Premier League, with coverage from 7pm. BBC Radio 5 Live will have full commentary.
Andrews does have problems at the back. Sepp van den Berg is out for the first two months of the season, leaving Kristoffer Ajer and Nathan Collins as the starting centre-back pairing. In midfield, club-record signing Mamadou Sangare is expected to walk straight into the XI, linking up with Vitaly Janelt and Mathias Jensen in a hard-running, technically sharp trio.
Antoni Milambo remains a long-term absentee after the ACL injury he suffered on international duty last October.
New signings Jannik Schuster, Jaidon Anthony and Callum Wilson should all make the matchday squad, but they are more likely to start from the bench, weapons for the second half if the game tightens.
Up front, Brentford still have a proven finisher. Igor Thiago may have endured a flat World Cup, but he comes into the season off the back of a 22-goal Premier League campaign. He is 11/8 to score anytime against Spurs, a price that reflects how consistently he has punished defences.
A familiar fixture with a stubborn pattern
Tottenham’s problems last season did not show up in this particular matchup. Under former Brentford boss Thomas Frank, Spurs took four points from their two league meetings with the Bees: a 2-0 win in December and a 0-0 draw on New Year’s Day.
History at the Gtech suggests another tight contest. Four of the five Premier League meetings between these sides in this stadium have ended level, including two 2-2 draws. The 0-0 last season was another reminder of how often this fixture locks up.
That record points firmly towards a draw again, and there is a strong case for both teams to score at 7/2. De Zerbi’s football rarely stays quiet for long, and Brentford at home are rarely passive.
New Spurs era, familiar danger
For all the tactical intrigue, individual quality could swing it.
Tonali, who scored just 16 minutes into his Premier League debut for Newcastle, has three goals in five previous appearances against Brentford and looked sharp in pre-season. He is 8/1 to score anytime, an eye-catching price for a midfielder with his timing and range.
Mathys Tel also lit up Spurs’ summer, registering one goal and three assists in five friendlies. He is 9/5 to score or assist against Brentford, and his direct running could be central to how De Zerbi wants this new-look side to attack.
On the other side, Thiago’s 22 league goals last season need no extra hype. Give him a half-chance and the narrative can flip in an instant.
Brentford are priced at 6/4 to start with a home win, Tottenham 15/8 to rip up the script and take all three points. The draw sits at 11/4, backed by history and the sense that both sides are still feeling out their new shapes.
Spurs arrive with money spent, reputations on the line and a manager trusted to turn chaos into a plan. Brentford arrive with continuity, belief and a record that says they don’t fear anyone in this league.
One of them has to set the tone for their season. Which version of Tottenham shows up?
