Tottenham Hotspur will host Everton on the Premier League final day on Sunday at 4pm UK, and manager Roberto De Zerbi confirmed on Friday that Dominic Solanke, James Maddison and Djed Spence are available for selection.
Everything on the line is contained in a simple arithmetic: a Tottenham win or draw against Everton keeps Spurs in the top flight, while a loss combined with West Ham beating Leeds would send Tottenham into the Championship next season — the club's first relegation in 49 years.
De Zerbi delivered the blunt updates in a press briefing on Friday. He said, "Solanke is available for tomorrow" and added, "We have to decide if he starts in the first 11 or not." He also told reporters, "Maddison is available." And on Spence he repeated, "He's available, he's available." Those words make selection the sharpest tactical decision of the day.
The final day will be a simultaneous sprint: 10 matches played at once across the Premier League, with Arsenal set to lift the trophy at Crystal Palace while seasons for teams at the other end of the table are decided. Tottenham's fate will not be settled in isolation; West Ham's result at Leeds is the other half of the equation that could hand Spurs relegation if they lose.
There is added weight to the De Zerbi calls because of recent absences. Solanke missed Tottenham's last three matches against Aston Villa, Leeds and Chelsea after suffering a hamstring injury in the 1-0 win against Wolves at Molineux on 25 April. Maddison returns after a long layoff following an ACL injury, and Spence comes back from a facial problem sustained against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.
De Zerbi's possible XI choices were foreshadowed in how both clubs lined up: Tottenham were lined up in a 4-4-1-1 formation with Kinsky in goal against Everton, while Everton were lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation with Pickford in goal. Those formations underline a likely cautious, risk-managed approach by Spurs, who only need a draw to guarantee safety.
The tension is not only tactical. If De Zerbi starts Solanke he risks a player still on the mend; if he leaves him on the bench he hands Everton the immediate opportunity to press and punish a side forced into passive possession. The manager's straight choice — start the striker or not — reduces a complex season into a single, decisive clemency toward fitness and form.
Every decision Sunday will be measured against one hard fact: a draw is enough. Given that, the sensible conclusion is that De Zerbi will assemble a side built to avoid defeat rather than chase an uncertain victory. His selection call on Solanke, and whether Maddison’s return is introduced cautiously or early, will in practical terms decide whether Tottenham remain a Premier League club or break a 49-year run.
