Spurs face a left‑back dilemma, with concerns over the fitness of Destiny Udogie and Andy Robertson ahead of the Chelsea encounter. With both players doubtful, Spurs Web has identified five potential solutions to the left‑back crisis Tottenham currently face.Tottenham Hotspur will be aiming to make it back-to-back Premier League wins on Saturday when they face London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.Victory would mark the first time Spurs have won two consecutive games this campaign and provide a much-needed boost heading into their next fixtures.Chelsea, however, are in fine form, having won their last two league matches by a combined 7-1 scoreline – beating Bournemouth 5-1 in gameweek six and Everton 2-0 in gameweek seven.Spurs will need to keep Xabi Alonso’s side quiet while also finding a way to break them down if they are to secure victory.Roberto De Zerbi faces a selection dilemma at left-back, with Andy Robertson and Destiny Udogie both doubts for this encounter. Should they miss out, the Spurs boss will need to get creative in finding a solution.Ahead of the meeting, Spurs Web has attempted to predict how De Zerbi could fill the potentially vacant left-back spot.Of course, this is an early prediction based on Tottenham’s recent team selections and the information currently available. Roberto De Zerbi is due to hold his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, which could provide further clues about his team selection and the availability of certain players who may have suffered issues against Coventry.Credit: @thefrederikkejensen / Instagram1. Destiny Udogie could return to Tottenham’s starting XI against ChelseaUdogie has been battling with fitness this season, right from the summer, with the full-back barely involved in Spurs’ tour of Australia and New Zealand.And since the Premier League began, those struggles have continued, with Udogie having played only two matches, his last appearance coming against Manchester United.Since then, the full-back has been sidelined with a knee problem and missed the encounter against Coventry City.There is a slim chance he will be available on Saturday, and should he return, we expect him to take the left-back spot, as he remains Spurs’ strongest option defensively thanks to his pace and one-versus-one qualities.2. Andy Robertson could start at left-back if Udogie is unavailable But if Udogie is injured and Robertson is fit, then the simplest solution is to have the former Liverpool man fill in at left-back.I mean, that has often been De Zerbi’s preferred solution to Udogie’s absence so far this season, and Robertson has proven to be a strong backup option.The veteran full-back has already secured two assists this season and continues to offer creativity down the left.However, Robertson’s fitness is one to keep an eye on, as he was taken off after picking up what looked like a muscular problem.De Zerbi has since confirmed that the full-back is fine, and if that is the case, he should be in line for another start this weekend.3. Roberto De Zerbi could turn to third choice Ben Davies at left back against Chelsea When Robertson was forced off due to the muscular issue against Coventry in Spurs’ last match, De Zerbi made a like-for-like swap for the former Liverpool man and brought on third-choice left-back Ben Davies.Often tagged Mr Reliable, Davies again proved a dependable pick in the 20-odd minutes he was on the pitch and even grabbed the third goal for Spurs against Coventry.While he remains an option, he would be far from an ideal pick given the pace Chelsea have in attack.The last thing De Zerbi would want is to have Palmer and Neto running in behind Davies, and should he start, that would be something the Blues would look to exploit.4. Micky van de Ven could move to left-back, with Marcos Senesi at centre-backIf pace is the worry, then the obvious solution is to bring in the quickest man in the team, Micky van de Ven, at left-back, and that remains an option for De Zerbi.The Spurs boss already experimented with that in the United game when Udogie came off in the 74th minute and Robertson was not on the bench.Van de Ven came on and filled in at left-back, which does hint that this is a solution De Zerbi is actively considering.Playing at left-back is far from strange for van de Ven, who does so with the Netherlands. However, if van de Ven is shifted to the left-back spot, then someone else would have to fill in at centre-back, and that could well be either Tosin or Senesi.5. Archie Gray could provide another left-back option for TottenhamAnother option, though, is Archie Gray. The Spurs boss does seem to trust the youngster and has already handed him plenty of minutes.In fact, Gray has started five of the seven matches Spurs have played this season. De Zerbi’s trust in the youngster also saw the Italian include him in his leadership team.Filling in at full-back is also something Gray is very much capable of doing, with the midfielder having already played at right-back this season.We know from previous seasons that he is also capable of doing so at left-back. During the 2024-25 season, Ange Postecoglou did have Gray play in that position a few times, and that again remains an option for De Zerbi this weekend.READ MORE: Why Tottenham’s bad stats vs Coventry prove they should be pushing for EuropeThe post Five ways Tottenham could line up at Chelsea as Roberto De Zerbi faces left-back headache - Opinion appeared first on Spurs Web.