Tottenham's Premier League Opener: Key Absences and Fresh Faces

Tottenham will walk into their Premier League opener at Brentford with a fresh look and some glaring absences.

New captain Micky van de Ven will not feature. The defender, handed the armband this summer, missed the entire pre-season after returning late from World Cup duty, and Roberto De Zerbi confirmed on Friday that he will not even be in the squad for the trip across London.

Vice-captain Pedro Porro is also out. De Zerbi ruled the right-back unavailable, stripping Spurs of both their new leaders before a ball has been kicked in the league. Pape Matar Sarr joins them on the sidelines after picking up a hamstring problem. The issue is not considered serious, but it is enough to keep the midfielder out of the opening weekend.

There is at least a sliver of relief. Destiny Udogie, James Maddison, Dominic Solanke and Mateus Fernandes all trained ahead of the Brentford clash. De Zerbi said they would be “inside”, a strong hint that all four are in contention to make the matchday squad, even if not all of them start.

Fernandes, the headline summer signing from West Ham for £85m, remains short of full fitness. A calf problem has dogged him since Spurs’ pre-season tour of New Zealand and Australia, and he will not start at Brentford as the medical staff continue to manage his workload.

De Zerbi has made his stance clear. After last season’s injury chaos, he is prepared to hold key players back now to keep them on the pitch when the season’s real battles begin.