Roberto De Zerbi says he does not want to pile too much pressure on his Tottenham players ahead of Saturday’s trip to Wolves, but admits his side cannot ignore where they sit in the Premier League table and how badly they need the three points.
Spurs head to Molineux to face already relegated Wolves, sitting 18th in the table, two points from safety with five games to play.
They have not won a league game in 2026, and are on a 15-game winless run – one short of the club’s all-time record.
De Zerbi stopped short of framing the trip as a final but made clear a win remains non-negotiable.
“Anyway, if we win in Wolverhampton, it is not finished yet. There are four other games, but I think now we deserve to win a game.
“Also with Brighton, I knew before the game it is one of the best teams in the Premier League in this moment. After their game against Chelsea, everyone knows. We played a good game and deserved to win.”
Spurs were denied a first victory of 2026 last weekend when Georginio Rutter’s 95th-minute equaliser condemned them to a 2-2 draw at home to Brighton.
Maddison on the bench but Udogie out
De Zerbi confirmed Destiny Udogie will miss the game through injury, though he suggested the left-back could return for the following fixture. Souza is available and could be included in the squad.
James Maddison will not start but is set to travel with the side after returning to the bench last weekend.
“He’s not available yet, especially in this week, he felt pain, but not an important problem. Tomorrow he’ll come with us on the bench,” De Zerbi said.
“He’s important for us whether he plays or not. It’s better he plays but also as a guy, as a leader, as a positive guy inside my dressing room. I want to see nice people and positive people.”
De Zerbi on Brobbey red card: ‘Can we play the game again?’
The Premier League confirmed this week that the decision not to send off Sunderland’s Brian Brobbey during Spurs’ recent defeat was a mistake. De Zerbi’s was asked about the incident, to which he simply replied: “Can we play the game again?”
De Zerbi also addressed the racist abuse directed at defender Kevin Danso last week, which the club publicly condemned, and players will wear a shirt in support of the Austrian on Saturday.
“I was very annoyed,” he said, adding that Danso had a “fantastic” game and that Spurs are “very lucky” to have him.
