Tottenham Hotspur visit Nottingham Forest in the Premier League on Saturday.
Spurs have lost both of their league games this season without scoring. The pressure is already mounting on manager Roberto De Zerbi.
A trip to Forest, who have beaten Tottenham in their last four league meetings, is hardly ideal for a side searching for confidence.
Match preview
De Zerbi admitted Spurs cannot buy the right mentality in the transfer market, despite the club spending over £300 million on 10 new players this summer.
Tottenham have conceded five goals without scoring in their opening two league matches.
Spurs are now in danger of suffering three consecutive defeats to begin a Premier League campaign for only the second time without scoring since 1974/75.
Their record from losing positions is particularly alarming.
Spurs have not won a league game after conceding first since November 2024, losing 28 and drawing eight of their subsequent 36 matches in which they fell behind.
De Zerbi’s selections have also drawn scrutiny.
Pedro Porro playing as an advanced winger, Conor Gallagher operating as a number 10 and constant midfield changes have yet to produce the desired results.
De Zerbi desperately needs to find an XI capable of giving Tottenham some stability.
Forest will provide another stern test. Oliver Glasner’s side earned an impressive 2-2 draw at Liverpool last weekend.
Morgan Gibbs-White is the obvious danger, having scored 13 Premier League goals in 2026, more than any other player in the division.
Forest have taken one point from their opening two games. They are targeting five consecutive Premier League wins over Tottenham for the first time.
However, Forest have won just one of their last 12 Premier League home games.
Tottenham team news
‘Aggressive‘ attacker Savio is back in contention after recovering from his muscle problem.
Meanwhile, James Maddison has returned to training. The 29-year-old should be in the squad this weekend.
Maddison’s return could be particularly important given Tottenham’s lack of creativity in their first two league games.
Mohammed Kudus is also back after making his first appearance since January against Newcastle United.
However, De Zerbi may be reluctant to throw him straight into the starting XI.
Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons are sidelined.
Tottenham predicted starting XI (4-2-3-1)
Antonin Kinsky; Pedro Porro, Jan Paul van Hecke, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie; Sandro Tonali, Mateus Fernandes, Rodrigo Bentancur; Savio, Omar Marmoush, Mathys Tel.
