Nottingham Forest vs Tottenham: Injury Updates and Historical Context
Nottingham Forest head into Saturday’s clash with Tottenham with momentum, home advantage and, crucially, the better medical bulletin. For Oliver Glasner, the injury news reads like a quiet boost. For Roberto De Zerbi, it’s another headache in a season that has barely begun.
Forest have Ibrahim Sangaré back after a minor calf problem, and Daniel Muñoz is finally ready to pull on the shirt for the first time. Across the technical area, Tottenham arrive at the City Ground without James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, Wilson Odobert and Xavi Simons, still searching for their first point and even their first goal of the Premier League season.
The pressure on Spurs is already heavy. Forest, by contrast, have a shot at history.
Glasner Gets His Midfield Enforcer Back
The tone of Forest’s week changed with one simple update: Sangaré is fit.
The Ivorian missed the 2-2 draw at Liverpool after tweaking his calf in training, but the issue has cleared and he returns as another powerful option in the middle of the pitch. For a side that wants to set an aggressive tempo at home, that matters.
Then there is the new face. Or, more accurately, the familiar one to Glasner.
Daniel Muñoz, signed from Crystal Palace on August 31, is available for selection and can make his Forest debut. The Colombian had nose surgery after the 2026 World Cup and will play in a protective mask, but Glasner has confirmed he is ready to be involved. His only caveat is fitness: a short pre-season means Muñoz still needs minutes in his legs.
The relationship between player and coach is already written. At Palace, Muñoz and Glasner helped deliver the 2025 FA Cup, the Community Shield and the UEFA Conference League. On the biggest day of that run, the FA Cup final, Muñoz set up the winning goal against Manchester City and walked away with the man-of-the-match award. Forest are hoping that pedigree travels.
Not every update is positive. Nicolo Savona remains out, still working his way back from the knee injury he suffered in January. The Italian wing-back has rejoined partial training but will not be ready for Tottenham. Glasner is aiming to have him in full training around the upcoming international break.
Even so, compared to what De Zerbi is juggling, Forest’s situation looks relatively calm.
De Zerbi’s Creativity Crisis
Tottenham’s problems are not spread evenly across the squad. They are clustered right where De Zerbi needs them least.
James Maddison is back on the grass after fracturing his shoulder, but not yet back in the team. De Zerbi has ruled him out of the trip to the City Ground, stripping Spurs of their primary creator and set-piece threat at a time when they cannot buy a goal.
Kulusevski’s story is just as frustrating. The Swede has rejoined full team training after more than a year out with a serious kneecap injury, yet Tottenham are holding the brakes. He will not feature against Forest as the club takes a cautious approach to his return.
Odobert and Simons also stay on the sidelines, both still recovering from knee problems. Four attacking and creative players, all unavailable. For a side that has failed to score in its opening two league games, the timing could hardly be worse.
The numbers are stark. A 3-0 defeat to Brentford. A 2-0 loss to Newcastle. Two games, zero goals, zero points.
The historical context only sharpens the edge. Tottenham have not started a league campaign with two defeats and no goals since the 1974-75 season. They have only once in their history gone three league matches at the start of a season without finding the net. That record is now uncomfortably close.
A Glimmer for Spurs: Sávio and New Blood
There is at least one bright spot on De Zerbi’s team sheet.
Sávio is back. The Brazilian missed the defeat to Newcastle with muscle fatigue but has been cleared to return and is available for selection. His pace and directness give Tottenham a different dimension in the final third, something they have sorely lacked in the opening weeks.
New attacking signings Omar Marmoush and Mathys Tel are also in contention. Both are fit, both are ready, and both may be asked to hit the ground running as Tottenham chase their first Premier League goal of the season.
One notable absentee will not be injury-related. Richarlison has been left out of Tottenham’s registered Premier League squad and is training separately as the club works on his exit. With transfer windows still open in Saudi Arabia and Turkey, his future appears to lie away from North London.
So De Zerbi heads into a pivotal game without Maddison, Kulusevski, Odobert and Simons, but with Sávio, Marmoush and Tel as fresh attacking options. It is a reshaped front line, born of necessity rather than design.
Forest’s Chance to Rewrite the Fixture’s History
For Forest, this is not just another home game. It is an opportunity to redraw the story of this fixture.
They have beaten Tottenham in each of the last four Premier League meetings, including victories in December 2025 and March 2026. That run already feels remarkable given the clubs’ recent histories, but there is another step available.
Forest have never won five straight league matches against Spurs. Not once.
Saturday at the City Ground offers them that chance: a fifth consecutive league victory over Tottenham, a new club record in this particular rivalry, and another layer of pressure on a Spurs side already straining under its own start.
Forest come in with key players returning, a new signing ready to step in and history within reach. Tottenham arrive wounded, searching for goals, and staring at an unwanted record.
Something has to give.
