Tottenham are set to face Everton at home on Saturday evening.
Tottenham Hotspur remain winless and are yet to score a goal in the Premier League this season, although there were some positives to come out of the goalless draw at Nottingham Forest on Saturday, not least of which was getting a first point of the season on the board.
After tasting defeat in opening two league games, the Lilywhites showed improved defensive organisation and resilience to stop Nottingham Forest from scoring at the City Ground. Yet, once again, the attack lacked cutting edge and failed to click as a unit.
In fairness, a big reason behind those struggles in the final third stems from the absence of natural playmakers like James Maddison, Xavi Simons and Dejan Kulusevski. In their absence, Roberto De Zerbi has used Conor Gallagher and summer signing Mateus Fernandes in the No.10 role, but it did not work out. However, things might change for the weekend’s game.
Tottenham receive positive injury update on star midfielder
James Maddison missed much of last season following his ACL injury suffered last summer. He came off the bench for the final three matches in May and helped Tottenham secure their top-flight status. When he was expected to improve his fitness and raise his physical levels over the summer, the England international did not play a pre-season minute after a small problem kept him out of training for a little while.
The creative midfielder then made his comeback late on in the 3-0 defeat at Brentford on the opening weekend of the campaign, only to suffer a minor shoulder fracture after falling awkwardly late in the game. Consequently, James Maddison has missed the last three games in all competitions, but a positive update on his injury has emerged right now.
According to a report from The Standard, Maddison is set to be available for selection for the Everton clash. He has been training since the end of last week and is expected to be in the matchday squad on Saturday. However, it is unclear at this stage whether the playmaker will be considered fit enough to start a game of high stakes for De Zerbi.
It looks like Maddison is inching towards full recovery after a freak shoulder injury vs. Brentford, disrupting his rhythm. The game at Forest came too soon for the 29-year-old, but there is a strong possibility he is included in the squad against Everton at the weekend.
If that happens, the influential midfielder will be raring to make a mark off the bench and help Tottenham register their first win of the Premier League campaign.