Tottenham Pre-Season: Quiet Getafe Test Amid Injury Concerns

Tottenham’s pre-season moves from spectacle to substance this weekend, away from the cameras and the noise. After a lucrative and lively tour of New Zealand and Australia, Roberto De Zerbi’s side will slip behind the gates at Hotspur Way for a behind-closed-doors friendly against Getafe on Saturday.

No fanfare. No fireworks. Just work.

The Premier League opener at Brentford is now two weeks away and Spurs, unbeaten in four summer outings, are edging towards the serious stuff. The mood is buoyant after a dramatic 2-1 win over Chelsea that closed the tour “Down Under”, Richarlison snatching victory with virtually the last kick of the game despite Spurs playing with 10 men following Kevin Danso’s red card.

That late winner did more than settle a friendly. It underlined a growing edge to this squad, a refusal to drift through pre-season. Yet as De Zerbi brings his players home to north London, the picture is not entirely smooth.

Fitness clouds over key men

Injuries, the great saboteur of last season, still hover over Tottenham’s preparations. De Zerbi has chosen caution over risk all summer, and the team sheet against Getafe will again be shaped as much by medical reports as by tactics.

Destiny Udogie and James Maddison have not played a single minute of pre-season. Maddison’s hip problem leaves him in a race against time to be ready for Brentford, a worrying scenario given his importance as the side’s creative hub. Udogie’s absence on the left has also stalled some of the combinations De Zerbi wants to bed in before the real games begin.

At centre-back, Micky van de Ven remains on the sidelines following his return from the World Cup, even as he edges closer to signing a new contract. His lack of minutes is a concern, but De Zerbi knows better than to gamble with a defender whose pace and recovery runs are central to how high Spurs want to play.

Up front, Dominic Solanke finally tasted pre-season action in the win over Chelsea, his first minutes of the summer. His integration remains a live project, and Getafe offers another chance to sharpen his understanding with the attacking line expected to support him.

De Zerbi’s caution is no mystery. Tottenham’s campaign unravelled last year under the weight of injuries. He cannot afford a repeat.

Kudus close, Kulusevski carefully managed

There was, at least, a flicker of optimism at Hotspur Way this week. Long-term absentees Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski were spotted running together in training, a sight that will have pleased both the staff and the fanbase.

Kudus has been missing since January with a serious quad injury. Kulusevski has endured even longer in the wilderness, sidelined for over a year after a patella problem suffered in May 2025. Two creative forces, two very different timelines.

Spurs are treating Kulusevski with extreme care. After such a long absence, the Swedish playmaker has not yet rejoined full team training and remains some distance from a competitive return. Any misstep now could cost months.

Kudus, though, is further along. He is back training with the main group and edging towards full fitness. Even so, it is doubtful he will be risked against Getafe. With the season still not underway, De Zerbi knows there is no need to rush a player who could define Tottenham’s attacking threat over the coming months.

There is better news on Mateus Fernandes. The £85million midfielder, who missed the last two games with a calf issue, has returned to training and is in contention to feature on Saturday. His presence in midfield, alongside the likes of Sandro Tonali, offers a glimpse of the control and aggression De Zerbi wants at the heart of his team.

Building chemistry behind closed doors

The Italian coach has had a heavy summer of spending and squad reshaping. That makes this quiet Getafe fixture more than a simple tune-up. It is a laboratory.

Relationships need time. Centre-backs must learn each other’s instincts. Full-backs must sync with wingers. Forwards must understand when to dart, when to drop, when to wait. De Zerbi will hope to name something close to a full-strength side, within the limits of the medical bulletin, to accelerate that process.

A likely XI would see Kinsky in goal, with a back line of Gray, Van de Ven, Van Hecke and Robertson. Fernandes and Tonali are expected to anchor midfield, with Williams-Barnett and Gallagher offering energy and invention behind a front pairing of Tel and Solanke.

It is not yet Tottenham’s definitive Premier League line-up. Doubts remain over Maddison, Udogie and Kudus. But it looks close enough to the spine that will walk out at Brentford.

The final stretch before Brentford

After Getafe, Spurs will not be easing off. A double-header against Bundesliga side Hoffenheim next weekend will complete a varied and demanding pre-season schedule, one that has taken De Zerbi’s squad across the globe and back to the privacy of their own training base.

By the time they step out at Brentford for their Premier League curtain-raiser, the excuses will have run out. The work in New Zealand and Australia, the late winner against Chelsea, the cautious handling of injuries, the behind-closed-doors grind against Getafe – it all leads to that opening whistle.

Kick-off against Getafe is set for 3pm BST on Saturday, August 8, 2026, at Hotspur Way. No crowd, no cameras, no spectacle.

Just Tottenham, a ball, and the question that will define their season: have they done enough to stop injuries from writing the story again?