Maddison and Udogie Ready for Spurs as De Zerbi Balances Caution

Tottenham have been handed a timely lift with James Maddison and Destiny Udogie both available, as Roberto De Zerbi walks a fine line between ambition and caution ahead of the weekend clash with Crystal Palace.

Maddison’s season has never really been allowed to breathe. The England international only returned from a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury at the end of last campaign and then saw his momentum checked again by a shoulder fracture in September. Each step forward has come with a grimace and a glance towards the treatment room.

Spurs have been careful. De Zerbi has resisted the temptation to throw his playmaker straight back into the fire, easing him into minutes. The reward came when Maddison marked his first competitive start since May 2025 with a goal against Coventry, a reminder of the sharpness and invention that had made him central to Tottenham’s plans.

That made his next outing all the more striking. Handed a surprise start at Stamford Bridge, Maddison helped Spurs to a rare win on Chelsea turf, a landmark night for the visitors that carried a hint of jeopardy when he was withdrawn early in west London. On an evening that felt historic for the club, the sight of him going off turned celebration into concern.

The anxiety has eased. De Zerbi confirmed the knock was not as serious as first feared and moved quickly to underline Maddison’s importance.

“This week, Maddison didn’t work like other players, but for tomorrow he is available,” the Spurs head coach said. “He is a special player for us. He has unique characteristics.”

The message is clear: Tottenham will not overwork him, but they know their ceiling rises when he is on the pitch.

Udogie’s stop-start season

On the opposite flank, Destiny Udogie’s situation has become a running puzzle for De Zerbi and his medical staff. The left-back, such a dynamic presence when fully fit, has struggled to string together a consistent run of training sessions, let alone matches.

“He is available,” De Zerbi said of his compatriot. “He is another problematic player in terms of injuries now because he can’t work consistently during the weeks. After United he didn’t work with us, with the group for a long time and this season is different because we have great medical staff and we are taking the right decision for each player in the right moment and in the right situation.”

That line tells its own story. Spurs are trying to build a season on players whose bodies keep interrupting the plan. The club’s medical operation is being tested weekly, and De Zerbi is leaning heavily on them as he juggles short-term results with long-term availability.

Injury list still bites

The good news on Maddison and Udogie is tempered by the rest of the bulletin.

• Lucas Bergvall remains out after suffering a knee injury in the 1-1 draw with Manchester United, a setback that has stalled his integration into the first-team picture.
• Savio is still nursing a muscular issue, carefully managed to avoid something more serious.
• Mykhailo Mudryk, meanwhile, has not featured since the start of September because of an ankle problem, depriving Spurs of another explosive option in the final third.

De Zerbi’s matchday squad still carries the scars of a bruising opening to the campaign.

Palace test for fragile Eagles

Next up is a Crystal Palace side that cannot find a rhythm of its own.

Since Pierre Sage replaced Oliver Glasner in the summer, Palace have flickered rather than burned. Two wins all season tell the story of a team stuck in neutral, and the table underlines it: the Eagles sit 17th, hovering above the drop zone more through others’ failings than their own authority.

They have not won in the league since a 3-1 victory over Glasner’s Nottingham Forest at the start of October. That feels a long time ago now. The form line since then has been jagged, the confidence brittle.

For Spurs, that presents an opportunity and a warning in equal measure. An opponent low on belief, but desperate. A squad slowly getting key players back, but still walking on eggshells physically.

Maddison and Udogie are back in the frame. How long De Zerbi can keep them there may go a long way to defining what Tottenham’s season becomes.