Tottenham Seek First Points Against Nottingham Forest

Tottenham head back into Premier League battle today still hunting their first points of the season, and they do it on awkward ground: a trip to Nottingham Forest and the noise of the City Ground.

It already feels like Roberto De Zerbi is fighting on two fronts. Results on one side, fitness on the other. The Italian has been blunt about it: the club’s pre-season tour has left his squad short of the physical edge needed for the opening weeks. The evidence is everywhere he looks – in the treatment room, on the teamsheet, and in the stop-start rhythm of his early line-ups.

Even the new faces have not escaped. Big-money arrival Savio, an £85m signing from Manchester City, has already had a spell out with a muscle problem. He lit up his debut off the bench against Charlton last week, scoring and assisting in a lively cameo that briefly hinted at a new attacking gear for Spurs. Days later, training bit back. A fresh issue ruled him out of the defeat to Newcastle.

Now, at least, there is a sliver of good news. De Zerbi has confirmed Savio is fit again and back in contention for Forest. Tottenham badly need his spark.

The main worry, though, is James Maddison. The playmaker fractured his shoulder on the opening weekend against Brentford, a brutal early blow to Spurs’ creativity. He sat out the loss to Newcastle and remains a major doubt for the trip to the City Ground. Without him, Tottenham lose not just their chief schemer but a leader in tight away games like this.

Deadline day brought fresh energy and fresh intrigue. Mykhailo Mudryk and Tosin Adarabioyo were both registered in time for the weekend, but only one of them is involved. Adarabioyo misses out on the matchday squad, leaving De Zerbi to lean again on his existing defensive core.

Mudryk, though, is on the teamsheet – but with caveats. The Ukrainian has not played a competitive match since November 2024 after serving a doping ban, and De Zerbi has been clear about his condition: Mudryk is only ready for up to 30 minutes. He starts on the bench, a weapon to be unleashed late rather than a cornerstone from the first whistle.

So Tottenham arrive at Forest still searching for rhythm, still patching up key players, and still waiting for their season to truly start. The question now is whether this bruised, undercooked squad can find its first points of the campaign in one of the league’s most unforgiving atmospheres.