We have the penultimate night of the latest little run of sessions in the Premier League Darts event on Saturday evening and as the race for the top four continues to intensify it is a big night of darts for so many of the players.
Glen Durrant continues to blaze a trail at the top of the table but there is a real fight for the other three places with second to sixth separated by just one point so those players know they can’t afford a bad night if they are to make it to the final four.
Daryl Gurney vs Peter Wright
The opening match is a repeat of a clash that we saw on Judgement Night as bottom of the pile Daryl Gurney takes on the world champion Peter Wright in a match which I think it is fair to say is bigger for the Scot than the Northern Irishman.
Gurney did well to survive elimination but he needs snookers to make it through to the semi-finals so he can now adopt the role of party pooper for the others and look to improve his league position if he can. Wright goes into the night in third place and he has an immediate chance to put some pressure on those around him if he can win the match here. Wright only beat Gurney 7-4 with the throw on Judgement night though so he might not be a completely sure thing on the handicaps here, especially after losing on Friday evening. I’ll sit this one out.
Michael Smith vs Nathan Aspinall
Two men who are deep in the battle for the top four meet in the second match of the night when Michael Smith takes on Nathan Aspinall in a clash neither can afford to lose and if their match earlier in the week is anything to go by will be quite close.
Aspinall won that match 7-5 after Smith coughed up a boat load of doubles to steal a draw in the final leg and it has to be said that those missed doubles are becoming a growing concern. Aspinall will have been disappointed not to take advantage of a good position against Michael van Gerwen on Friday evening so along with Smith he could also have a point to prove here which makes betting on the result difficult.
I do like a bet here though. That comes in the 180s. When these two met over the shorter format earlier in the week they hit 11 180s in 12 legs and you’ve got to think we’ll get at least 12 legs in this one so I expect the 180s to flow once again. The 180s line here is 8.5 which I’m not convinced is high enough for two relentlessly heavy scorers. Both men hit five 180s in their match on Friday and a repeat of that here will be more than enough for the over to land.
Special Offer
Opt in and place 5 accumulators either in a Boylesports shop or online and get an acca free! Click the image below to bet. ALL CUSTOMERS! 18+ T&Cs apply. Gamble Aware.
Gary Anderson vs Glen Durrant
In terms of the league table the big match of the night is the third one on the card as the table topper Glen Durrant takes on the former winner Gary Anderson, who has moved himself into fourth spot with wins over Michael van Gerwen and Peter Wright in the last two nights.
Anderson must be full of confidence having overcome those two opponents and you sense there is even more to come from the Scot if it all clicks into place. Durrant has just been relentless in this campaign and is already looking set for a place on finals night. A win here might well be enough to secure that but two wins from his final six outings certainly would. Durrant wasn’t quite as good on Friday as he was the three nights before but there are no signs of him stopping. This should be a great game but it is a very tough one to call so I’ll sit this one out.
Michael van Gerwen vs Gerwyn Price
The last match of the night sees Michael van Gerwen looking to build on his win on Friday night when he takes on Gerwyn Price who has just become detached from the top six and needs a winning run to get himself right back into contention.
Van Gerwen beat Nathan Aspinall on Friday night but there was nothing that was convincing about it and given that he lost his two matches prior to that he still looks vulnerable to me. The problem with taking him on here is that Price doesn’t look at all comfortable in these conditions and hasn’t done ever since they came about. This one might lack the quality expected of it but the tension around should make it a decent watch. If the throw was the other way around with the same odds I might have chanced Price on the +2.5 leg handicap but if he loses the chances are he doesn’t win six legs so I’ll sit this out.
Tips
WON – Back M.Smith vs N.Aspinall – Over 8.5 180s for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with William Hill
Back it here:
Copyright secured by Digiprove © 2020
