Team news | Roberto’s latest on Kulusevski and Maddison
Roberto De Zerbi has given an update on how James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski have responded to milestone appearances against Coventry City on Monday night.
Madders returned from his long-term knee injury at the end of last season, but made his first start since 1 May, 2025 and completed 70 minutes against the Sky Blues, rifling in a superb opening goal in our 3-1 win.
Deki, meanwhile, stepped off the bench for 11 minutes (three, plus eight added time) for his first action since 11 May, 2025 following his knee issues.
Roberto was asked in his pre-match press conference on Friday how the pair had recovered, and responded: “In the first three days Maddison didn't work with us, I don't know if he's ready for tomorrow. Kulusevski worked well, but in the first day he stayed individual.
“We can play also with Mathys Tel, we can play with Marmoush inside, we can play with Gallagher, or we have more solutions considering Pedro Porro can play. Like I said many times, I don't want to take risks, because if you analyse this period of European football, you can see many injuries for Tottenham, for everyone. So, if I can, I don't want to take risks to lose many players for many games.”
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