Tottenham Hotspur midfielder James Maddison is a doubt for Saturday’s London derby against Chelsea after scoring on his first start in 536 days during the club’s maiden Premier League victory of the season, manager Roberto De Zerbi confirmed on Friday.

Spurs travel to Stamford Bridge following an encouraging 3-1 home win over Coventry City on Monday. However, their record at Chelsea’s ground offers little reassurance, with Tottenham managing just one victory in their last 41 visits across all competitions.

Maddison, 29, recently returned from an extended spell on the sidelines due to injury and marked his return to the starting XI against Coventry by opening the scoring with an outstanding strike.

Despite his impressive comeback, De Zerbi remains uncertain whether the midfielder will be fit enough to feature against Chelsea, leaving Tottenham waiting for further clarity ahead of the crucial derby.

Roberto De Zerbi has revealed that James Maddison remains a doubt for Tottenham Hotspur’s clash with Chelsea after missing the first three days of training following Monday’s victory over Coventry City.

“In the first three days after the Coventry game, Maddison didn’t train with us. I don’t know if he will be ready for tomorrow,” De Zerbi told reporters at a press conference.

“I don’t want to take any risks because, if you look at football at the moment, you can see there are a lot of injuries, and it’s not just happening at Tottenham.”

While the Spurs manager is reluctant to rush Maddison back into action, Tottenham have received a boost with Pedro Porro, Andy Robertson and Omar Marmoush all available for selection.

“We can also play with Mathys Tel, with Omar Marmoush in the middle, or with Conor Gallagher. We have more options, especially with Pedro Porro available,” De Zerbi added.

However, Tottenham will still be without winger Savio and midfielder Lucas Bergvall for the London derby.

Dejan Kulusevski’s availability also remains uncertain following his long-awaited return as a late substitute against Coventry, ending a 526-day absence from action.

Left-back Destiny Udogie continues to recover from a knee problem and has not featured since Tottenham’s 1-1 draw against Manchester United earlier this month.

“We are fortunate to have several options available in the same position,” De Zerbi said.

“We need to find the best solution for him and for the team.”

Tottenham currently sit 16th in the Premier League standings with six points and face a difficult challenge at Stamford Bridge, where they have managed just one victory in their last 36 league visits.

Fourth-placed Chelsea, who have collected 13 points, will be aiming to extend their winning run against Spurs to seven consecutive league matches for the first time.

Despite Tottenham’s poor record at their rivals’ home ground, De Zerbi believes the statistic can serve as additional motivation for his players.

“For me, it provides one more source of motivation for the players,” the Tottenham manager said when asked about the club’s struggles at Stamford Bridge.

“I want this negative record to give us extra motivation, mentality and energy to win the game. We have the quality to achieve that.”