Tottenham conclude their pre-season preparations this weekend with a double-header of friendlies against Hoffenheim. Roberto De Zerbi's side host the Bundesliga outfit at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday, before the two teams meet again in a behind-closed-doors contest at Hotspur Way less than 24 hours later.
Two different starting lineups expected
Spurs are likely to field two completely different starting lineups in each game, with those who are partially or not involved at all on Saturday likely to play on Sunday as De Zerbi looks to get his squad up to full fitness ahead of the Premier League getting under way next weekend.
Tottenham remain unbeaten in pre-season, but were held to a 1-1 draw by Getafe in another behind-closed-doors friendly last Saturday that was played over 70 minutes. Some of those players who were not involved against Getafe, including new signings Mateus Fernandes and Marcos Senesi, then played an in-house friendly later in the day.
Key absentees and injury concerns
Despite playing two separate friendlies, there were still a number of notable absentees from both teams that will concern De Zerbi as the new season approaches. James Maddison, who is in contention to take the captaincy once Cristian Romero departs for Atletico Madrid, has still yet to feature in pre-season. Spurs are taking a cautious approach as he continues to recover from an anterior cruciate ligament injury that ruled him out for most of last term.
Micky van de Ven, another candidate for the captaincy who recently signed a bumper new contract, has also been left out by De Zerbi since returning from extended leave after the World Cup. It is unclear whether Van de Ven is struggling for fitness, but De Zerbi will hope to have him involved in some way this weekend.
Dominic Solanke and Destiny Udogie, meanwhile, are seeing their minutes managed after missing large parts of last season through injury. De Zerbi is likely to be able to call upon World Cup winner Pedro Porro after he received a guard of honour upon his return to the club's training ground this week. The 26-year-old is set to play a starring role in De Zerbi's side after signing a new long-term deal in June and will undoubtedly be Spurs' first-choice right-back, with Djed Spence set to leave for Inter Milan.
Return of Kudus and predicted lineup
Spence and captain Romero, who is in Madrid for a medical before joining Atletico, are both expected to be absent against Hoffenheim as they complete moves away from the club. There is hope that Mohammed Kudus could play for the first time since January after returning to full-team training following a serious quad injury. His return is being managed, with De Zerbi admitting the club initially rushed Kudus back before he suffered a setback in his recovery in April. However, he is said to be closing in on a return to full fitness, in a major boost to Spurs' attacking options.
Predicted Tottenham XI: Kinsky, Gray, Van Hecke, Senesi, Robertson, Fernandes, Tonali, Maddison, Kudus, Richarlison, Tel
Time and date: 3pm BST on Saturday August 15, 2026. Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. How to watch: SPURSPLAY.
