Tottenham Pre-Season Focus Intensifies Ahead of Getafe Match
Tottenham are back on home soil, but there’s no easing off.
After a sharp, confidence-building tour of New Zealand and Australia, Roberto De Zerbi’s side step behind closed doors this weekend for a friendly against Getafe at Hotspur Way. No crowd, no fanfare, just a squad trying to sharpen its edge two weeks out from the Premier League opener at Brentford.
Spurs are four games unbeaten this summer and carry the buzz of a dramatic finale from their last outing. Their tour ended with a stoppage-time winner against Chelsea, Richarlison striking with virtually the final kick despite Spurs playing with 10 men after Kevin Danso’s red card. It was the sort of chaotic, emotional finish that managers secretly enjoy: resilience, belief, and a little bit of edge.
Now comes the quieter work.
De Zerbi balances rhythm and risk
De Zerbi knows how quickly a season can fall apart. Tottenham’s campaign last year buckled under the weight of injuries, and that memory hangs over every selection call he makes in July and August.
The Italian has refused to gamble with key players. Destiny Udogie and James Maddison have yet to feature in pre-season, with Maddison battling a hip problem that leaves him in a race to be ready for Brentford. The concern is real: Maddison is central to Tottenham’s creativity, and every missed session chips away at rhythm.
Micky van de Ven, on the verge of signing a new contract, has also been kept on the sidelines since returning from the World Cup. Dominic Solanke, by contrast, finally stepped onto the pitch for his first minutes of the summer against Chelsea, a significant step for a striker expected to carry a major load this season.
The dilemma is clear. Spurs have spent heavily, reshaped the squad, and now need relationships to form, patterns to stick, and combinations to settle. Getafe, even in a closed-door setting, offers De Zerbi a rare chance to get close to his strongest XI without the intensity of a Premier League fixture.
Long-term absentees edge closer
There was a different kind of lift at Hotspur Way this week: the sight of Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski running together in training.
Kudus has not played since January after a serious quad injury. Kulusevski has been out even longer, sidelined for more than a year following a patella problem suffered in May 2025. For a squad that missed their invention and directness, seeing both in boots again matters.
Spurs are treating Kulusevski with extreme care. After such a long absence, he has not yet rejoined full team training and remains some distance from a competitive return. No shortcuts, no rush.
Kudus is further along. He is back with the main group and edging towards full fitness, yet it still looks unlikely he will be risked against Getafe. The temptation to throw him in is obvious; the medical reality is just as clear.
Mateus Fernandes, the £85million midfielder, is in a different place on the recovery curve. A calf issue kept him out of the last two games, but he has returned to training and should be in contention to feature on Saturday. His presence in midfield would give De Zerbi a better sense of how his new-look spine might function when the real stuff starts.
Building towards Brentford
With Getafe up first and a double-header against Hoffenheim to follow next weekend, Tottenham’s pre-season is entering its decisive phase. The experimentation of early July is over. Now it is about clarity.
De Zerbi is expected to edge closer to his Premier League line-up, fitness permitting. A likely XI against Getafe could see Kinsky in goal, a back line of Gray, Van de Ven, Van Hecke and Robertson, Fernandes and Tonali anchoring midfield, with Williams-Barnett, Gallagher and Tel supporting Solanke in attack.
On the fringes sit the doubts: Maddison, Udogie, Kudus. All three are important. All three are racing the calendar.
The setting on Saturday will be low-key: 3pm BST at Hotspur Way, no supporters in the stands, just the thud of passes, the shouts from the touchline, and a manager measuring every sprint and every tackle.
Tottenham’s summer has looked promising on the surface. The real question now is whether De Zerbi can get his best players onto the pitch together, fully fit, by the time they walk out at Brentford.
