Roberto De Zerbi has admitted he does not know if new £85million signing Savio will be ready to start against Charlton Athletic tomorrow night. Tottenham confirmed the arrival of Savio from Manchester City on Tuesday, with the Brazilian registered in time for the club’s Carabao Cup second-round tie at home to Charlton.
De Zerbi unsure over Savio fitness
Having been left out of the last two City squads, though, De Zerbi is unsure whether he will throw Savio straight into the starting lineup despite Spurs’ need for attacking reinforcements.
“Savio, I don't know if he's ready to play if everything is ok to play or on the bench,” De Zerbi said in his pre-match press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
Maddison injury blow
De Zerbi also confirmed that James Maddison had suffered a shoulder injury following Tottenham’s 3-0 defeat to Brentford over the weekend. The England midfielder came off the bench at the Gtech Community Stadium but has now suffered a setback in his bid to return to full fitness after missing the majority of last season with an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
The Spurs boss added that Mohammed Kudus was still not available despite returning to team training following a serious quad injury.
Team news and predicted lineup
In more positive news, De Zerbi said defenders Micky van de Ven and Pedro Porro would both be on the bench against Charlton. The pair were left out of the squad against Brentford amid concerns over their fitness. Academy winger Luca Williams-Barnett impressed during pre-season and will also be among the substitutes after De Zerbi admitted he considered handing him his Premier League debut against Brentford. Striker Dominic Solanke is available to start after coming off the bench against Brentford.
After a shocking performance at the Gtech Stadium, De Zerbi has a lot of decisions to make as he looks for a morale-boosting victory to get Spurs’ season up and running. The Italian must decide whether to persist with Lucas Bergvall after he struggled to deal with Brentford’s intensity at the weekend.
Tottenham predicted XI vs Charlton Athletic: Dubravka; Gray, Van Hecke, Davies, Udogie; Bentancur, Tonali, Fernandes; Moore, Tel; Solanke. Injured: Maddison, Kudus. Time and date: 7.45pm BST on Wednesday, August 26. Venue: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. How to watch: Sky Sports+.
