Tottenham Afternoon Round-Up, Friday 23rd October 2026: De Zerbi Delivers Injury Update and Maddison Doubt Ahead of Chelsea Derby

Roberto De Zerbi faced the media on Friday ahead of Saturday evening's Premier League derby at Chelsea, and injuries dominated the agenda (Football.London) (Football.London). The head coach confirmed a triple fitness boost for the squad, though James Maddison remains a doubt for the trip to Stamford Bridge (Football.London) (Spurs Web) (TottenhamHotspur.com). De Zerbi also gave the latest on Kulusevski and touched on Udogie and Robertson during his press duties (Football.London) (TottenhamHotspur.com).

There was also talk of a player De Zerbi has an issue with, discussed alongside the Maddison and Kulusevski situations during his media session (Football.London). On the Kulusevski debate specifically, Football.London ran a reader poll in which more than 1,700 Tottenham fans gave their verdict on whether he should start against Chelsea (Football.London).

Looking ahead to the game itself, De Zerbi has told his players to use Tottenham's poor record at Stamford Bridge as extra motivation this weekend (Spurs Web). BBC Sport has also looked back at previous meetings between the two London rivals, noting the fixture's reputation for goals and controversy (BBC Sport).

Away from team news, Spurs Web reports that Tottenham have been told now could be an opportune moment to move for a Bundesliga striker who has scored six goals this season and has been watched by the club's scouts (Spurs Web). Elsewhere, Gus Poyet has given his view on the lowest position he feels Tottenham should finish this season, suggesting pressure on De Zerbi has not fully eased despite their recent first league win (Spurs Web).

This round-up is written with the help of AI, using only the day's headlines from the publishers credited above. Each point links to the original report — tap the source name to read it in full.