The Premier League Darts season resumes on Wednesday night with the first of three evenings of action this week which sees the second part of the regular phase beginning as the race for the finals intensifies from here on in.
The eight remaining players will all be eager to be at finals night and as the competition gets stronger and longer from here on in, we should be in for some competitive darts and some exciting action both this week and when the final stage come around later in the month. The tournament has been played over the best of 12 legs so far but we are up to the best of 14 legs now.
Jonny Clayton vs James Wade
The two men either side of the semi-final line going into the second stage of the season meet in the first match of the evening as the fifth placed Jonny Clayton meets fourth placed James Wade in what looks an excellent starter.
Clayton was the early pacesetter but the break probably came at a good time for him despite him winning his last match of the first phase of the competition. Wade started slowly but he has powered his way into contention and if he is crisp on his doubles he would rate as more than a dark horse for the title from here on in. These are two of the players who I’d like to assess their form after the break before I get involved in them so I’m happy to sit this one out.
Jose de Sousa vs Gary Anderson
The second match of the night sees two men who are currently outside the top four colliding when the power scoring Jose de Sousa takes on the classy Gary Anderson in a match in which the loser will face a battle to make it into the semi-finals.
The first match between these two this season was something of a cracker with Anderson getting over the line in the final leg after de Sousa bungled a bunch of missed doubles to come out with a draw. Since then de Sousa has acclimatised to the competition and put in some stellar performances while Anderson has struggled for consistency and results. As a result of that, the Scot sits bottom of the table going into the second part of the season so he needs to get his skates on if he is going to be involved at the business end of the tournament.
The bet I like in this match is over 9.5 180s. That might sound a lot on the face of it but they produced nine matches earlier in the tournament and there could be a couple more legs here. De Sousa smashes in 180s at a ridiculous rate while Anderson is no slouch in that department. I think the even money that we get to double figures in maximums here looks a perfectly acceptable bet in a match where both players will have the rhythm they seek.
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Dimitri Van den Bergh vs Michael van Gerwen
The pick of the matches on the returning evening of the competition is the penultimate match of the night as the second placed Dimitri Van den Bergh taking on third placed Michael van Gerwen in a match where the winner will be looking very solid for a semi-final spot.
These two men have gone in different directions since the last night of the Premier League. Both played the Super Series in Germany with Van den Bergh winning one of the four events and making the semi-final of another while van Gerwen only won five of his nine matches throughout the week. The Dutchman has only won two of his last six Premier League outings as well and one of those was against Glen Durrant which barely counts given the form he was in during the event.
The Belgian should go into this match full of confidence and we’ve seen throughout the last period of time that he is very much a big stage player. The pair drew 6-6 in the reverse fixture in this competition but that was pretty early in the piece. I think Van den Bergh will be more comfortable here and clearly more confident. If there is a winner in this match then I fancy it will be him and not MVG.
Peter Wright vs Nathan Aspinall
The final match of the first night back sees the former world champion Peter Wright, another player who needs a strong second half of the campaign in order to make the final four, going up against Nathan Aspinall who enters the night on top of the table and well placed to make the play-offs for a second season in a row.
Aspinall battered Wright in the reverse meeting between these two earlier in the season and I can certainly understand the reasons for thinking he will win again, but Wright has had the chance to reflect on things and come up with the plan and strategy to make sure he is at his best for this part of the competition. That is enough to make me avoid getting involved in this because if Wright is at his best he is still more than a match for anyone. I’m happy to assess the form of these two before getting involved in their matches this week.
Tips
Back J.de Sousa vs G.Anderson – Over 9.5 180s for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with Betfair
Back it here:
Back D.Van den Bergh to beat M.van Gerwen (DNB) for a 3/10 stake at 2.20 with Bet365
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