The second week of the Premier League darts tournament sees the roadshow head into Glasgow on Thursday night for another top evening of tungsten tossing as the competition begins to take some shape.
Peter Wright will be the headline attraction up in Scotland while Glen Durrant makes his first TV appearance as a PDC player on what will hopefully be a night of darts every bit as enjoyable as the one we witnessed last week.
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Peter Wright vs Michael Smith
The first match of the evening sees the only Scot left in the tournament in Peter Wright taking on the World Championship finalist and runner up in this event last year Michael Smith in what looks like being a decent start to proceedings.
Neither man won their opening match last week so both will be eager to get a win to their name here. I wouldn’t say either are under pressure to win because there are still seven matches left before Judgement Night but we’ve seen players struggle at the start before and not really get anywhere.
I’m actually a little surprised that Peter Wright has won both the meetings between these two in 2019. The general consensus is that Wright isn’t playing to their best and Smith is at the peak of his powers but the results suggest otherwise. With a raucous Scottish crowd behind him I fancy Wright to complete a quick hat trick here.
Rob Cross vs James Wade
The second match of the evening sees the world number two Rob Cross taking on the former Premier League champion James Wade in what many could forgive the pair of thinking is a huge match for both of them.
Wade enjoyed a good win over Raymond Barneveld last week while Cross battled away for a draw with Peter Wright so whoever wins this match will be in a good position to crack on and push for the semi-finals so there is a feeling that this is more important than an average second week contest.
Cross played better than I expected last week but I’ve a feeling for Wade in this match. He has won four of their last five meetings and is playing about as well as we’ve seen in a long while it has to be said. Cross still doesn’t look bang on it so I’ll take the draw out and back Wade to win if either of them is to win.
Raymond van Barneveld vs Gerwyn Price
The third match of the evening could be billed as a relegation battle as Raymond van Barneveld takes on Gerwyn Price in a clash between the men who were the two favourites to be relegated before a dart was thrown in the tournament.
Price isn’t the favourite to be relegated now though after his fine win over Daryl Gurney last week and if he plays as well as he did there he could well be expected to win here. Barneveld struggled against Wade and fell to defeat and could probably do without losing this. I want to back Price here but I’m wary of the crowd so with that in mind I’ll sit this one out.
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Daryl Gurney vs Glen Durrant
The penultimate match of the evening is huge for Daryl Gurney in terms of his chances in the competition but it is also big for Glen Durrant as he tastes the Premier League treatment for the very first time.
Gurney drew the short straw in a big way by landing Durrant as his contender but then this match quadrupled in importance when he lost to Gerwyn Price last week. If he loses this one then he would be pointless after two matches with the leading lights all to come. Durrant on the other hand can go out and enjoy himself and show everyone what he is made of.
I expect Durrant to win this. I think he is a fine player and he showed everyone that at the weekend when he made the final of the Players Championship tour event on Sunday. The lack of pressure on him should see him perform to the best of his abilities and if he does that he is good enough to win this one.
Mensur Suljovic vs Michael van Gerwen
The final match of the night sees Mensur Suljovic looking for his first win of the season when he takes on the main man and world champion Michael van Gerwen in a big game for both men even this early in the competition.
Suljovic came from the clouds to earn a point in the end last week and against a Chris Dobey who was inspired by the home crowds whereas van Gerwen was too good for Michael Smith, although he wasn’t absolutely flawless so there is room for improvement in both men. I expect van Gerwen to win this but here is nothing really leaping out and making me back it here so I’ll sit the finale out.
Tips
PUSH – Back P.Wright to beat M.Smith (DNB) for a 4/10 stake at 2.20 with Betway
Back him here:
Back J.Wade to beat R.Cross (DNB) for a 4/10 stake at 2.25 with Betfair
Back him here:
Back G.Durrant to beat D.Gurney (DNB) for a 4/10 stake at 1.91 with Sky Bet
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