Premier League Darts preview: Michael Smith closing in on top four finish

Premier League Darts heads to Leeds for night 13 following last week’s scarcely believable scenes which saw Nathan Aspinall steal the night and Gerwyn Price overtake Michael van Gerwen at the top of the table.

We preview all the quarter-final action below.

Michael Smith v Chris Dobey

World number one, Michael Smith, is currently fifth place in the table and looks in prime position to make a move into the top four this Thursday evening.

Smith currently sits just one point behind Jonny Clayton, but with Smith the heavy favourite in his quarter-final matchup at 1/2 and Clayton the 19/10 underdog against an in-form Gerwyn Price, Smith could propel himself into the all-important top-four places with a couple of good performances.

Chris Dobey has had a disappointing campaign, having not picked up a single victory since night eight. However, that night eight victory did come against Smith, and despite being the 8/5 underdog, Dobey has proven he does possess the ability to produce an upset here.

Given Dobey’s poor run of form, and Smith’s motivation to reach the top four before the play-offs, we expect a comfortable victory for the world number one. Smith to win the match, notch the most 180s and have the highest checkout is priced at 2/1, which could be decent value if you fancy a Smith whitewash.

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Michael van Gerwen v Peter Wright

Michael van Gerwen clearly felt the pressure in Rotterdam, as he bowed out to Nathan Aspinall 5-6 in the opening round.

Aspinall did go on to win the night, but van Gerwen nonetheless will be disappointed with his performance in front of a home crowd which cost him his leader status in the competition. The Dutchman has since come out to say that he still fancies himself as the best player in the world, and he is the 4/11 favourite here.

Peter Wright has had a dire run this Premier League, currently sitting in last place on just seven points. Last week saw him lose his quarter-final matchup, but in week 11 Snakebite did make it to the semi-finals. He is 21/10 against van Gerwen but given the top-four spots are out of reach, he doesn’t seem an appealing underdog even at these prices.

Van Gerwen will be keen to reclaim his top spot on the leaderboard, and he can’t be ruled out to win the whole night in Leeds at 5/2. If Wright puts up a fight, over 5.5 180s at 21/10 may be a shout, or regardless of Wright’s performance, van Gerwen to hit the most 180s is priced at 5/6.

Gerwyn Price v Jonny Clayton

Gerwyn Price has been in terrific form this season and swooped in to claim the top spot in the table last weekend, despite being bettered in the final.

Price boasts four nights’ victories this Premier League, ahead of van Gerwen on three. At 2/5 in this clash, the odds tell the whole story with Price heavily favoured to clinch the win. But with a top-four place secured, will Price lack the determination to get the job done in this matchup?

Jonny Clayton is the heavy underdog here at 19/10, which is no surprise given he lost to Price 6-1 in last week’s semi-final. Clayton will be more than aware of Smith nipping at his heels for the fourth-place spot, and that could work in Clayton’s favour if he can overcome the Welshman’s incredible form at the moment.

Clayton is a relatively attractive underdog at 19/10, while Price at 2/5 leaves little room for profit, so this matchup is probably the hardest of the evening to decipher. If one thing is certain it’s that this will be an unmissable quarter-final, so make sure you are tuned in for this one!

Nathan Aspinall v Dimitri Van den Bergh

Nathan Aspinall had a huge night in Rotterdam, not only shooting down MVG in an unbelievable quarter-final, but also bettering an unstoppable Price in the final.

It’s what dreams are made of, and sitting at third place in the table he has proven his worth in this highly competitive competition. He is fancied to win this quarter-final at 4/5, but his Belgian opponent will make that task far more challenging than it seems.

Dimitri Van den Bergh has had a relatively successful campaign but won’t be happy with his current ranking. Last week saw him knocked out in the semi-final 3-6 against Aspinall and he will be eager to get one back against his adversary.

At EVS, Van den Bergh isn’t an awful punt, but if Aspinall turns up in the same form as last week then the Belgian could be in a world of trouble, with the top-four firmly out of reach if he doesn’t perform on Thursday night.

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