Credit: Imago

Scott Mason

Mon 18 May 2026 17:40, UK

Roberto De Zerbi is potentially one game away from clinching Premier League survival with Tottenham Hotspur, but he faces a huge decision in goal now.

Antonin Kinsky has been the number one in the absence of Guglielmo Vicario, who has been ruled out over the last couple of months after undergoing surgery on a hernia.

There were certainly worries about if the Czech goalkeeper could handle the pressure after his disastrous appearance in the Champions League against Atletico Madrid.

His time at Tottenham looked to be over after he crumbled in a rare start handed to him by Igor Tudor, who subsequently withdrew him from the action just 16 minutes into the game.

However, ahead of Tottenham’s final two games, De Zerbi has now been faced with a new decision, with Kinsky redeeming himself.

Is Guglielmo Vicario available for Tottenham against Chelsea?

Vicario has not featured for Tottenham since 22 March when Spurs were defeated 3-0 against Nottingham Forest.

The Italian then decided to undergo surgery to correct a hernia, with his timeline of return expected to be short. However, it has been the opposite. Now, he is finally back ahead of the final two games.

De Zerbi has hinted that he could turn to his fellow countryman Vicario, stating after confirming his return: “No, it is not difficult [on decision between Vicario or Kinsky]. It is easy. Vicario is number one but we have to consider the physical condition, the momentum and everything.”

However, if the Tottenham manager does turn back to Vicario, he could be making quite the mistake ahead of facing Chelsea.

Since Vicario’s surgery, Kinsky has made five appearances for Spurs in the Premier League, and he has impressed throughout.

He is averaging just one goal conceded per game compared to the Italian’s 1.6 goals conceded over 31 games.

Yes, it is a small sample size, but form is extremely important when it comes to maintaining a survival push.

Kinksy is also preventing a net positive number of goals, with 0.07 prevented, while Vicario is in the negatives with -5.22 as per Sofascore.

De Zerbi also requires his players to be comfortable on the ball, and Kinksy has a higher pass accuracy from short range (94 per cent) compared to his counterpart Vicario (90 per cent).

The data are there to suggest that Kinsky must remain in goal.

Tottenham must stick with what has been working

Spurs effectively need just one point from their final two games, with the goal difference total between the Lilywhites and West Ham not impossible but frankly inconceivable to overcome.

Tottenham have a 13-goal advantage in that statistic. A draw against Chelsea would mean West Ham would need to hope for quite a dramatic swing.

De Zerbi cannot afford to take risks right now, and putting Vicario, who has no momentum, back into the mix is a mistake waiting to happen.

Hopefully his comments about momentum are words to go by, and Kinsky remains between the sticks.