We have reached the penultimate week of the regular season in the Premier League Darts event and we have four matches to enjoy in Birmingham over the course of Thursday evening. There are still places up for grabs at the o2 on finals night in a couple of weeks and every point could matter here.
Peter Wright vs Simon Whitlock
The evening begins with two men who are playing purely for pride when Peter Wright takes on Simon Whitlock. Both men have been out of the competition in terms of being able to qualify for a week or so which means they are playing for prize money only here.
Wright has been pretty ordinary throughout this season and didn’t exactly show signs that anything was about to change last week when he was drubbed by Michael Smith. Simon Whitlock had been faltering after a bright start but his win over Gary Anderson last week at least shows that he isn’t finished with his performance levels in the event. That said neither man are playing well enough to lure me into a bet.
Rob Cross vs Michael van Gerwen
The second match of the night is the biggest one as it is a repeat of that epic World Championship semi-final between Rob Cross and Michael van Gerwen. Both men know they will be at the o2 on May 17 and van Gerwen can confirm being there as the table topper if he wins here.
Van Gerwen gained revenge for that defeat at Ally Pally when these two met on the opening night of the competition and he’ll be aiming to do the double over the world champion. Cross hasn’t won in three outings in the Premier League so he’ll be out to get the winning touch back here. Given that there isn’t a lot on this I’m reluctant to bet in truth.
Daryl Gurney vs Michael Smith
The one match of the night where there is something competitive at stake is the third one where the World Grand Prix champion Daryl Gurney takes on a Michael Smith who is enjoying a wonderful Premier League campaign.
If he is to have any chance of appearing at the o2, Gurney must win this match. Even that might not be enough but his fate will be sealed if he is not successful here. Smith is almost guaranteed a spot at finals night but needs one point to be absolutely certain of it. The head to head record favours Smith here but the fact he doesn’t need to win puts me off. I’ll sit this out too.
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Gary Anderson vs Raymond Barneveld
The final match of the night sees two of the best the game has ever seen going at it when Gary Anderson takes on Raymond Barneveld. The Dutchman saw his chances of making it to the o2 disappear last week while Anderson still needs one more win unless Gurney loses the match before this one.
I sense Barneveld might struggle to raise himself for this match. He has been known to struggle before when the competitive juices are not flowing and as a result, despite his defeat last week, I’ve got to think Anderson will get the win he needs here.
Anderson throws first in this match which means he only needs to win by one break of throw to cover a 2.5 leg handicap. Anderson would have every chance of covering that against a competitive opponent but if Barneveld is not up for this the chances of the Scot winning 7-4 or easier will greatly improve. That’s where my money is going.
Tips
Back G.Anderson (-2.5 legs) to beat R.Barneveld for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with BetVictor
Back him here:
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