It is the penultimate week of the first stage of the Premier League Darts season on Thursday night when the 10 dartists make their way to Belfast for what looks like being a pivotal evening in the exhibition tournament.
Next week is Judgement Night so those who are not yet safe will want to achieve safety without having to go through the ringer next week. Elsewhere those at the other end of the table will want to force home their advantage.
Mensur Suljovic vs Gary Anderson
The opening match of the evening sees Mensur Suljovic taking on Gary Anderson with both men wanting the two points for different reasons. Suljovic is only out of the elimination zone on leg difference while after a poor start to the season Anderson is chasing a place in the top four.
Historically when these two have met it has been Suljovic who has had the upper hand and it will be interesting to see if that hoodoo he seems to have over the Scot continues. I sense it won’t but I’m not really in a rush to put my money where my mouth is.
Michael Smith vs Gerwyn Price
Michael Smith was knocked off top spot in the table when Michael van Gerwen took him apart last week but he can go back level on points with the green machine if he can see off a Gerwyn Price who is yet to win a match this season. Price will be eliminated if he loses this match.
Price has mentioned on social media recently that he needs a break from the game as the enjoyment has gone and you’ve been able to seen that in some of his performances lately which is not ideal for him. Smith lost last week but he didn’t really do a huge amount wrong and I think a repeat of that performance should see him home here.
Given that Smith has the throw and he’s playing so well I think there are grounds for taking him on the -2.5 leg handicap. It only needs one break of throw to cover that and having covered it in four of his five wins so far in the tournament I’ll back him to cover it again.
Raymond Barneveld vs Michael van Gerwen
The match of the night is the third one of the evening when the two Dutchmen battle it out when Raymond Barneveld takes on Michael van Gerwen. Both men go into the night in the top four in the table and a win will keep them there.
The last three meetings between these two have been absolute epics and we all remember their clash in the World Championship in which Barneveld probably should have won but found a way to lose. Barneveld often raises his game against van Gerwen which puts me off a bet of any kind because it is plain madness to oppose MVG in current form.
Daryl Gurney vs Rob Cross
Although this penultimate match will be overshadowed heading into the evening by the one that precedes it I’ve a feeling when Daryl Gurney takes on the world champion Rob Cross in front of his home crowd we will see fireworks.
Gurney goes into the week chasing a place in the top four while Cross could go level with van Gerwen at the top should he win this contest and the Dutchman lose earlier in the evening but in truth I wouldn’t want to call which way this one is going to go.
I do think we are going to see a barrel load of 180s though. Both men have hit nine 180s each in the last two weeks so they are finding the red bit with consummate ease. More importantly both look to be playing well so we should get a tightish match here with plenty of time to get the over 7.5 180s line covered. I’ll take the over.
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Simon Whitlock vs Peter Wright
The final match of the night is a massive one for the beaten finalist of last season as Peter Wright has to win to ensure he goes into Judgement Night with a realistic chance of survival. Simon Whitlock will be out to end a winless run in the campaign.
The difficulty with betting on this match is we don’t know which Peter Wright we are going to see. He changes his darts week on week and he plays badly in this tournament then makes the final of the European Tour event. Consistency eludes him and with that in mind rather than guessing I’m happy to sit this one out.
Tips
WON – Back M.Smith (-2.5 legs) to beat G.Price for a 4/10 stake at 2.10 with NetBet
Back him here:
WON – Back D.Gurney vs R.Cross – Over 7.5 180s for a 4/10 stake at 2.10 with Betfred
Back it here:
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