Tottenham travel to the City Ground under mounting pressure on Saturday, having lost their opening two Premier League matches of the season. Given the heavy summer spending, patience is already wearing thin on Roberto De Zerbi, and a third straight defeat would only turn up the heat. Forest, by contrast, arrive with four points from two games, including a draw with Liverpool, so this won’t be an easy fixture to get back on track.
On the home side, Nicolo Savona remains out with a knee issue that’s now flared up after an increased training load, pushing his return back toward October; he’s currently doing gym-based rehab. Ibrahim Sangare is a doubt after a minor calf strain kept him out last time, though there’s some hope he recovers in time. Xavi Simons remains a longer-term absentee as he continues rehabbing an ACL injury from last season, with his return not expected until later in the year at the earliest.
For Spurs, Wilson Odobert is out for the long haul following an ACL rupture, with a return pencilled in for late November or December. James Maddison is a doubt with a shoulder issue, though De Zerbi has downplayed it as pain management rather than a serious injury, leaving the door open for him to feature. Savio, still managing a minor muscle issue picked up shortly after his debut, is another doubt — De Zerbi said the club preferred caution given he hadn’t trained for about two weeks before arriving, though he could return to full training soon.
Dejan Kulusevski, meanwhile, has hit a big milestone by returning to full training after 477 days out, but he isn’t expected to be rushed straight into Premier League action.
With several key names in doubt, De Zerbi will be hoping Maddison and Savio prove their fitness in time for Saturday.
