There are two nights left in the regular stage of the Premier League Darts season and the first of those takes place on Friday evening when once again the eight remaining men compete inside the behind closed doors setup at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes.
We already know Glen Durrant will be in action on finals night but we still don’t know the three men who will join him. There are still six players battling it out for those three spots and the picture could get a little clearer on a competitive night on Friday.
Daryl Gurney vs Nathan Aspinall
The action begins with what is a very big match for Nathan Aspinall when he goes up against Daryl Gurney. Aspinall starts the night in fourth spot but he will be there for the chasing pack to overtake if he is unable to win this one.
Gurney has been playing for pride for a while now and although he has shown good signs in his play and picked up the odd result which has spoiled one or two parties along the way, he is bottom of the table for a reason. A player who has no competitive pressure on them should never be ruled out though it has to be said. This match is all about Aspinall though. If he scores like he had and hit his doubles he should win this one but there are those questions about him so I’m happy to leave this one.
Glen Durrant vs Peter Wright
The second match of the night is probably the pick of the fixtures in terms of the fact that it is the only one on the evening that sees two men in the top four battling it out as league leader Glen Durrant takes on the world champion Peter Wright in what just looks a great match.
Durrant continues to ride his luck in recent times but is still picking up results with opponents unable to put him away so all eyes will be on Wright to see how he fares in trying to see off the former BDO world champion. These two usually deliver good matches to watch. Durrant beat Wright here at the World Matchplay a couple of months ago and the pair drew 6-6 in the reverse meeting in this event last week so there is an evenness to their matches. I wouldn’t be surprised to see a draw here either but nothing really leaps out in terms of a bet so I’ll sit this one out.
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Gary Anderson vs Michael van Gerwen
The third match of the night is a pretty important one as the defending champion Michael van Gerwen continues to battle for a place in the top four to be able to attempt to defend his title wherever and whenever the finals take place. He meets former winner Gary Anderson who needs just a draw to secure his spot in the last four.
Anderson has been in good nick over the last week or so. He has won five and drawn one of his last six matches with that draw coming when he was well in front of Durrant without being able to finish him off. It has been the opposite for van Gerwen for whom this season continues to be a real struggle. He hasn’t always helped himself though as he missed two darts to beat Durrant on Thursday before having to settle for a draw. He might need to win his last two to make it through to the last four so he certainly can’t afford to lose here. My gut tells me that Anderson is value here but I can’t back him when a draw will do.
Michael Smith vs Gerwyn Price
The final match of the night sees two men drinking in the last chance saloon taking each other on when Michael Smith meets Gerwyn Price in a clash in which the loser will know their fate as far as making the last four is concerned. The winner isn’t guaranteed a place in the semi-final but they will at least take their chances to the final night of the season.
Michael Smith resumed the Premier League in a good position to qualify but he has had a mare of a week and now he near enough needs snookers if he is going to make it into the semi-finals. He certainly needs to win here and win pretty big in the process. Price looked like he was launching a real tilt at a top four place when he knocked off Wright and van Gerwen in successive nights last week but he has only picked up one point from dates with Gurney and Aspinall this week which have hampered his chances somewhat.
It is do or die for both these men now and I think that is when Price is going to come to the boil. He is a pretty good player when the heat is on whereas Smith can still be guilty of wilting when the going gets tough. Another thing he has been guilty of in recent nights is missing a raft of doubles. To be fair Price has missed some too but under pressure I fancy him to hit them more than his opponent so the 11/10 on Price is the way to go here.
Tips
Back G.Price to beat M.Smith for a 3/10 stake at 2.10 with Betfair
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