Aston Villa have the chance to close in on a potential top-six finish in the Premier League, with just three games remaining of their season.

After a disappointing derby-day defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers at Molineux last time out, Unai Emery will be looking to get his team firing again as the Villans host Tottenham Hotspur at Villa Park.

Emery’s side were 0-2 victors in the reverse fixture in north London back in January, and the Spaniard will be hoping for a repeat of the performance back at home this weekend.

Villa fought hard to no avail against Wolves, dominating possession with 62% of the ball, as well as registering 1.48xG to the host’s 0.76xG, as per Sofascore, in what was a deeply disappointing result for the team in claret and blue.

The 51-year-old took a chance in starting Bertrand Traore on the flank, which didn’t go as planned as the Burkina Faso-born forward was pulled at half-time in what was a poor performance.

Should Bertrand Traore be dropped for Leon Bailey against Tottenham Hotspur?

Although it’s unfair to judge a player from a single game, the 27-year-old was far from influential on proceedings down the road in Wolverhampton and is a gamble that Villa can’t afford to take in their bid to clinch three points against Spurs.

The £63k-per-week winger - who has previously been lambasted as "inconsistent" by The Villa View's Dan Bardell - had one shot on target in his shocking 46-minute cameo, winning just two of an attempted six ground duels, and losing possession nine times in the first half - as per Sofascore.

The forward earned a Sofascore rating of just 6.4, which was deserving considering his poor performance in a frustrating fixture for the Villans.

Leon Bailey took the 27-year-old’s place at half-time and could provide a more effective winger in Emery’s system at Villa Park when Spurs visit.

The Jamaican covers a lot of ground down the right flank and could pose issues for the Tottenham defence, one that has struggled recently, conceding a disastrous 15 goals in their previous five fixtures as they adapt to life under Ryan Mason.

Bailey is a tough player to handle in the wide areas, averaging 3.99 progressive carries per 90 minutes, showing that he is frequently on the move on the attacking front in Emery’s system - as per FBref.

The former Bayer Leverkusen man averages the second-highest shots per game in Villa’s set-up, registering 1.6 per fixture according to WhoScored.

It’s redemption time for the forward who has missed a chunk of last month’s game time nursing a hamstring injury that has seen others step up in his place and impress in his absence.

Following Traore’s disappointing display last weekend, there is certainly cause for a debate as to who to start on the right side against Tottenham in a must-win fixture to keep European hopes alive.