Tottenham Hotspur’s Premier League survival will go down to the final day after another damaging result in midweek.
Spurs squandered a golden opportunity to secure their top-flight status with a game to spare, suffering a 17th league defeat of the season at Stamford Bridge. West Ham’s loss to Newcastle had left the door wide open, but De Zerbi’s side were unable to capitalise.
Tottenham nevertheless head into the final weekend holding a two-point cushion over the Hammers, knowing that a draw against Everton will be enough to keep them up.
De Zerbi has described Sunday’s fixture as the most consequential match the club has faced in recent memory — surpassing even last season’s Europa League final in terms of what is at stake. Given the turbulence of Spurs’ campaign, that assessment is hard to argue with. A packed Tottenham Hotspur Stadium is expected to generate a fierce atmosphere as the home side chase the result they need.
On the injury front, there is cautious encouragement. Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert, Cristian Romero, Ben Davies, and Mohammed Kudus all remain sidelined, and Dominic Solanke had been a concern in recent weeks. However, Guglielmo Vicario returned to the matchday squad last week, while Romero has progressed to outdoor training as part of his recovery.
The more significant boost comes in the confirmed availability of both Solanke and James Maddison. De Zerbi confirmed Solanke is in contention to start, while Maddison’s involvement will be managed carefully with his physical condition taken into account ahead of kick-off.
