Tottenham Prepares for Getafe Friendly Behind Closed Doors

Tottenham have slipped quietly back into north London, the jet lag barely worn off, and already the next checkpoint is in sight. No fanfare this time, no packed stadiums in New Zealand or Australia. Just a behind-closed-doors friendly against Getafe at Hotspur Way on Saturday, and a manager intent on sharpening edges rather than chasing headlines.

The tour “Down Under” did its job. Four games, no defeats, and a finish that felt more like a competitive knockout tie than a pre-season run-out: a dramatic 2-1 win over Chelsea, sealed with virtually the last kick from Richarlison. That it came with 10 men on the pitch, after Kevin Danso’s red card, only added to the sense that Roberto De Zerbi’s Spurs are already embracing the chaos he tends to bring with him.

But the noise of that finale fades quickly. What matters now is Brentford away in two weeks, and the growing list of questions De Zerbi still has to answer before the Premier League curtain goes up.

Fitness puzzles and missing pillars

The biggest issue is simple and stubborn: injuries. Tottenham’s season unravelled last year largely because key players broke down. De Zerbi has no intention of repeating that mistake.

Destiny Udogie and James Maddison have yet to play a single minute of pre-season. Maddison’s hip problem has turned into a race against the clock; there are suggestions he may struggle to make the trip to Brentford at all. For a side that leans heavily on his creativity and tempo-setting, that’s no small concern.

Micky van de Ven, on the verge of signing a new contract, has also been kept on ice since returning from the World Cup. His pace and recovery runs are central to how high Spurs can push their line. Right now, those patterns are being rehearsed without him.

Up front, Dominic Solanke finally collected his first minutes of the summer against Chelsea. His integration is one of the quiet subplots of this pre-season: a new focal point learning the movements, the pressing triggers, the timing of runs with a new supporting cast around him.

De Zerbi’s caution is deliberate. Spurs spent heavily, and the Italian wants relationships on the pitch to form, but not at the cost of losing core players before a ball is kicked in anger.

Glimpses of a long-awaited return

There was, at least, a flicker of good news at Hotspur Way this week. Training footage showed Mohammed Kudus and Dejan Kulusevski running together, side by side on the grass that has felt a long way away for both of them.

Kudus has been absent since January with a serious quad injury. Kulusevski has endured even longer in the shadows, not playing for over a year after a patella injury in May 2025. Two creative forces, two long-term absentees, finally moving at something like full speed again.

Spurs are handling Kulusevski with particular care. After such a long spell out, the Swedish playmaker is still not involved in full team sessions and remains some distance from a return to match action. Kudus, by contrast, has stepped back into group training and is edging towards full fitness, though it remains doubtful he will be risked against Getafe.

Then there is Mateus Fernandes. The £85million midfielder missed the last two games with a calf issue but has returned to training and is expected to be in contention on Saturday. For a manager who builds his sides around control and structure in midfield, having Fernandes available again is significant.

Building chemistry behind closed doors

This Getafe game is not about spectacle. It is about rhythm. About defensive distances, pressing cues, and understanding where a new teammate will be without looking.

After a heavy summer of spending, De Zerbi will want a near full-strength side as soon as the medical staff allow it. The predicted XI against Getafe underlines that intent: Kinsky in goal; a back four of Gray, Van de Ven, Van Hecke and Robertson; Fernandes alongside Tonali in midfield; Williams-Barnett and Gallagher working the flanks; Tel supporting Solanke up front.

On paper, it looks close to the spine that could open the season. In reality, doubts still hover. Maddison, Udogie and Kudus all sit in that uncertain space between “close” and “not quite yet”.

Getafe will not see the full Tottenham blueprint, not in a game tucked away from the cameras at 3pm BST on Saturday, August 8, 2026. But De Zerbi will demand intensity all the same. He knows what comes next.

After Getafe, Spurs face Hoffenheim in a double-header next weekend, the final dress rehearsals before Brentford. By then, the manager will hope the injury list has shortened, the partnerships have tightened, and the drama of Richarlison’s late winner in Australia has been replaced by something more valuable: a side that looks ready for the grind of a long Premier League season.

The friendlies are almost done. The excuses soon will be.