Tottenham supporters will feel a whole lot better about securing a third consecutive Premier League victory following Roberto De Zerbi's press conference on Friday.
We typically prepare for the worst on the injury front every time the manager speaks, but the Italian provided a more positive update ahead of Crystal Palace's visit this weekend.
Spurs are once again in the Saturday evening slot, aiming to build on last week's 2-0 triumph at Stamford Bridge—just the second time we've won in SW6 since 1990.
While those memories will reside in Lilywhite folklore, it won't count for all that much in the short term if we're rolled over by a pretty poor Palace team on home soil.
The Eagles have won on their previous two visits to N17, and their cruise in March represented one of the bleakest nights in the club's modern history. However, Pierre Sage's visitors are 17th in the table and boast the worst defensive record in the division.
This is a team a sophisticated De Zerbi-led outfit should have success against, and the presence of two key players has only increased our chances of victory.
De Zerbi confirms James Maddison & Destiny Udogie's statuses for Palace
I think the majority of us suspected Maddison would have no chance of immediately returning to the fold after hobbling off at Chelsea before all the fun began. Maddison has dealt with an array of fitness setbacks since recovering from an ACL tear, and he'd seemingly picked up a groin strain last week.
However, there was no immediate concern from De Zerbi after Saturday's match, and he's now confirmed that Maddison is fit to play against Palace. We're likely to take a cautious approach, though, so don't be surprised if the playmaker's used to provide inspiration off the bench.
Maddison was absolutely instrumental in our maiden league win of the season against Coventry City, and played a key role in us tactically outmanoeuvring Chelsea in midfield last time out. He was the spare man Chelsea struggled to track until his injury.
In a game like thise, Maddison's presence is imperative.
That's also true of Destiny Udogie, who provides so much power and dynamism down the left. We haven't seen him since he starred at Old Trafford, missing the previous two wins.
Andy Robertson produced his best performance in a Spurs shirt last weekend, so there's no desperate need to bring Udogie back right away. De Zerbi said the Italian left-back is "available", but admitted that he can't yet "work consistently during the week". The medical staff are managing his load, so only a cameo is likely here.
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