Crystal Palace travel to Tottenham on Saturday night looking to respond after consecutive Premier League defeats left them hovering dangerously above the relegation zone. The Eagles were beaten 5-0 by Brighton before suffering a 2-0 loss to Newcastle in their most recent league match.
They will face a Tottenham side that has renewed momentum after back-to-back victories over Coventry and Chelsea. De Zerbi said the match would provide an important examination of his team after those wins, insisting that Spurs must show the correct attitude and spirit rather than assume the result will follow automatically.
The Tottenham head coach also offered his assessment of Palace manager Pierre Sage. De Zerbi said he has known Sage for a long time, including from his work at Lyon and Lens, and described him as a very good coach. Having watched Palace against Fulham, Besiktas and Newcastle, De Zerbi said the Eagles remain “alive” ahead of the trip to north London.
De Zerbi confirmed that James Maddison is available despite missing part of Tottenham’s training week, while Destiny Udogie has also been cleared to feature. However, he said the club would be careful not to take unnecessary risks with players returning from injury, with Maddison among those whose workload must be assessed.
The Spurs boss also confirmed that Tosin, Lucas Bergvall, Mykhailo Mudryk and Savio remain unavailable. He praised Mathys Tel’s work and potential, while saying Tottenham have enough quality within their squad to keep improving as they prepare to face Palace.
