We have reached week five of the Premier League Darts season with the action this Thursday coming from Exeter but unfortunately for those with tickets there will be no Michael van Gerwen on show this week due to a back injury.
Dave Chisnall will play two matches in his place which makes it a huge night for Chizzy as he seeks to stave off the threat of being eliminated for a second year in a row. It was draw central last week and it will be interesting to see what the nine men have in store for us this week.
Dave Chisnall vs Raymond Barneveld
Chisnall will begin the night before finishing it too. He faces a stern test to begin with as Raymond Barneveld takes him on. Barneveld has won five of their last six meetings which will do Barney the world of good as he is a creature of habit and knows every statistic going against anyone.
I think Chisnall has to win this match so I fancy he may well come out firing. That doesn’t necessarily mean he will win it but it is enough to put me off taking Barneveld to win. A win for Barneveld will enhance my outright bet on him so I’ll sit back and hope that happens.
Jelle Klaasen vs Kim Huybrechts
There are some big matches on in the evening but for these two this is the biggest. It isn’t going too far to suggest the loser of this one will be eliminated this season while a draw would probably cut each other’s throat so both will be desperate for the win.
Jelle Klaasen played amazing darts to beat Dave Chisnall last week and being the only winner on the night he made a significant move but Kim Huybrechts is playing nicely himself. He has draws with Phil Taylor and Raymond Barneveld to his name and should have beaten James Wade.
I’ve backed Huybrechts to be eliminated so I’m already cheering on Klaasen in this one but with what the match means to the pair of them this isn’t one I can bet on.
Gary Anderson vs Phil Taylor
This might well be the match of the night in terms of the illustrious levels of the two men involved. Gary Anderson came from nowhere to draw with James Wade last week while Phil Taylor failed to beat Kim Huybrechts.
Anderson only has one win in the Premier League so far this season but last week was the first time his average dropped below the 100 mark so it isn’t as though he’s been playing badly, he’s just walked into a couple of trains. In contrast Taylor is yet to average 96.5 in the competition and you’ve got to think he will need to do that and more here.
Anderson’s performances have been better than his results so far this season but I fancy he can put that right here with a win against an out of sorts looking Taylor despite his positive results.
Adrian Lewis vs Peter Wright
Peter Wright will look to continue his good form when he faces up against an Adrian Lewis who must surely be buzzing after a draw with Michael van Gerwen last week. A win for either here will catapult them into the semi-final mix while a defeat will leave whoever loses stranded a little so this is an important match too.
All things being equal I think Peter Wright would win this. I think he is playing the better of the two but you have to respect Lewis’ performance against van Gerwen last week and then he nailed a nine dart finish over the weekend. That leads me to think this might be tighter than it might look which is enough to put me off betting.
James Wade vs Dave Chisnall
Chisnall’s second outing of the night comes against a James Wade who goes into this match unbeaten in the tournament so far and checking out at the levels which makes him extremely dangerous.
Dave Chisnall’s mood may well depend on his result in the earlier match but such is his position in the table that even were he to beat Barneveld to open up the evening he could still do with something here.
I always think it is hard to play twice in a night and getting back up for a second match is hard to do. I would have fancied Wade in this match anyway with the way he’s hitting doubles. Chisnall has a win over Huybrechts to his name this season but three pretty comfortable defeats to go with it. I think Wade will add to those defeats here.
Tips
Back G.Anderson to beat P.Taylor for a 4/10 stake at 1.80 with Betfred
Back him here:
Back J.Wade to beat D.Chisnall for a 4/10 stake at 2.27 with 188bet
Back him here:
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