Tottenham will look to make it three Premier League wins in a row when they host Crystal Palace on Saturday night.
The struggling Eagles head to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium perilously above the relegation zone, having lost their last two league matches 5-0 to Brighton and 2-0 to Newcastle.
And they face an in-form Spurs side who have climbed the table thanks to impressive back-to-back wins over Coventry and Chelsea.
Roberto De Zerbi will be hoping to keep the momentum going when he goes head-to-head with a familiar face in Pierre Sage.
Here’s a transcript from the Italians’ pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon…
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Chelsea’s James Maddison injury scare
“This week Maddison didn’t work as well as other players, but for tomorrow he is ready. He is a special player for us – a special player because he has unique characteristics, he is different from everyone else. Maybe it’s just Xavi Simons who is very close to him but he is injured or Deki Kulusevski can play in 10 like James.
“He is special because of his characteristics, his experience, his personality, but we can play 10 with Marmoush or 10 with Conor Gallagher. We have already played with Mateus Fernandes, even he is better as a playmaker, but it is not important, I think the characteristics of the players, the most important thing is to put the players in the right position for them.
“I think you have to work harder than other players for James, or in any case for players coming from an injury, a long injury, but he’s been working very hard and consistently for four or five weeks now.”
About players returning from injury
“So him missing two days (of training) is not a problem, but then we have to analyze if we take risks. If we take risks like Pedro Porro (against Aston Villa) or (Dejan) Kulusevski. We are lucky to have a big squad and it is important not to take risks with new injuries.”
Available this weekend at Destiny Udogie
“He’s ready. He can’t work consistently during the week. After Man United, he hasn’t worked with us for a long time. We have a great medical staff and we make the right decisions for the right players at the right time.”
He eliminated four players
“Still outside [are] Indeed, [Lucas] Bergvall, [Mykhailo] Wise. Savio is injured. Everyone else exists.”
On the return of Pedro Porro
“Pedro is one of the greatest players. Great guy. Sensitive guy. Passionate guy. We are very lucky to have Pedro with us.”
On the influence of Matys Tel
“I’m proud and I’m happy, but first of all for him because I love working for players, improving players. I’ve lost the chance to become a better player in my career. The main goal of my job is to work on improving players. Matys works hard. He’s a smart guy with a lot of potential. I’m here to help my players.”
About the last turn
“We can’t ask for time. We can’t ask for anything. We have the quality to win games, to get better and better. Tomorrow is a big test because we won two games in a row. We have to show the mentality, the attitude, the right spirit.”
Crystal Palace manager Pierre Sage is under pressure
“I know Pierre Sage very well. He is a very good coach. I have known him for a long time from Lyon, last season in Lens. He is a very good coach. I watched the game with “Fulham”, “Beşiktaş” and “Newcastle”. They are alive.”
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