Roberto De Zerbi has confirmed that James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski are both available for Tottenham’s clash with Chelsea this evening. The Spurs head coach had previously raised doubts over their involvement after the pair missed parts of training following Monday’s win over Coventry City.Maddison made his first Tottenham start in 536 days against Coventry, marking his return with a superb goal in the 3-1 victory. Kulusevski also came off the bench for his first appearance in 526 days, giving supporters another reason to celebrate Spurs’ first Premier League win of the season.However, there were concerns over whether either player would be ready to face Chelsea just five days later. De Zerbi admitted during Friday’s press conference that he was unsure about their availability, having taken a cautious approach to their recovery.Credit: @thefrederikkejensen / InstagramDe Zerbi confirms Maddison and Kulusevski are available against ChelseaSpeaking to reporters on Friday, De Zerbi revealed that Maddison had missed three days of training following Tottenham’s victory over Coventry. Kulusevski had also spent time working individually rather than with the rest of the squad.The Italian made it clear that he did not want to take unnecessary risks with either player, particularly given how long they had been sidelined. He said:“I don’t know, because in the first three days Maddison didn’t work with us, I don’t know if he’s ready for tomorrow.“Like I said many times, I don’t want to take risks, because if you analyse this period of European football, you can see many injuries, not for Tottenham, for everyone. So if I can, I don’t want to take risks to lose many players for many games.“Kulusevski also. Kulusevski worked well, but in the first days he stayed individual.”However, in a separate interview with Tottenham’s official channels, De Zerbi provided a more encouraging update on the pair.Asked how close Maddison and Kulusevski were to featuring against Chelsea, he said:“I don’t know if they start on the pitch (or) on the bench. But anyway, they are available to play.“We have to manage both in the best way we can because they are different players in terms of qualities, personality and experience. And we need them.”That is welcome news for Tottenham, although it remains to be seen whether Maddison will be fit enough to start at Stamford Bridge. The midfielder played 70 minutes against Coventry, while Kulusevski was only introduced in the closing stages.De Zerbi will have to decide how much playing time to give both players, with Spurs having several other injuries to contend with. There is some positive news elsewhere, however, as Pedro Porro is available again after recovering from his injury.Destiny Udogie remains unavailable for the trip, while Tosin Adarabioyo is a doubt after feeling discomfort during the Coventry victory.De Zerbi wants Tottenham players to shoot more oftenDe Zerbi also discussed Tottenham’s attacking performance against Coventry, having watched his side score three goals from outside the penalty area. It was an unusual turnaround for Spurs, who have struggled to make the most of their chances throughout the opening weeks of the campaign.Maddison opened the scoring with a brilliant first-time effort before Omar Marmoush added another long-range strike in the second half. Ben Davies then completed the scoring in stoppage time with a superb trivela finish.Tottenham’s underlying attacking statistics against Coventry were not particularly impressive, but their finishing made the difference. De Zerbi was asked whether he had given his players more freedom to shoot from distance.He replied: “No, I’m pushing to shoot, to try the goal even outside the goal area, because I know the qualities, the skills of my players. It’s not a lucky goal, Maddison’s or Marmoush’s.“I’ve not seen many, many players finishing like Marmoush. So he has to think positive, has to believe in himself, to try. Doesn’t matter the mistake. I would like to see the players enjoy with the ball, enjoy during the game.”The comments suggest De Zerbi wants his players to make better use of their shooting ability rather than always looking for an extra pass. Marmoush, in particular, earned praise from the Spurs boss for his finishing.Tottenham will need that attacking quality against Chelsea, with the Blues having made a strong start to the Premier League season. Whether Maddison and Kulusevski are involved from the beginning or introduced later, their return gives De Zerbi options that have been missing for much of the campaign.READ MORE: Tottenham 2027/28 third kit leak reveals black design and possible badge changeThe post Roberto De Zerbi provides a fresh update on Maddison and Kulusevski ahead of Tottenham vs Chelsea appeared first on Spurs Web.