Premier League Darts Night 14 preview: Clash of the titans as MVG meets Price in quarter-finals

It’s crunch time in Premier League Darts, as just two regular nights of action remain before the top four in the table battle it out in the quarter-finals, but for now, we head to Manchester’s AO Arena for night 14.

We preview the best of the action below.

Peter Wright v Jonny Clayton

Jonny Clayton has won two nights of the Premier League this season and is the main contender for a top four finish, currently sitting in fifth place.

Clayton sits on 18 points, just adrift of Nathan Aspinall and Michael Smith on 22 and 23 points respectively. The Ferret is the 4/6 favourite in this matchup, with the stakes higher than ever. Clayton simply can’t afford to be knocked out in the quarter-finals again this week if he is in with a chance of a top four finish, and he will be more than aware of this reality.

Peter Wright remains the backmarker at the bottom of the table, and he has been out of top four contention for a while now. However, Wright has proven he is up to the task when it comes to big upsets, defeating Michael van Gerwen last week in Leeds with an outstanding performance.

Wright is the 6/5 underdog for this matchup, with Clayton looking likely to clinch the win given his now-or-never circumstance. Clayton is also heavily favoured to notch the most 180s in the match at 7/4.

Check out all the latest darts betting odds at William Hill

Chris Dobey v Dimitri Van den Bergh

Chris Dobey and Dimitri Van den Bergh are two more who, like Wright, have been out of the playoff picture for some time. However, there is still cash to be won for both men with £10,000 awarded to the winner of each night.

Dobey would know about the £10,000 bonus, as he won night one with an iconic victory over Michael van Gerwen in the final. Unfortunately, the EVS underdog has been unable to replicate his initial form, not making it out of the quarter-finals since night eight.

Van den Bergh has faired slightly better across the season, but has failed to clinch an overall night’s victory. An ultra-competitive quarter-final last week saw him lose to Nathan Aspinall 6-4, but the Belgian pro is 4/5 favourite here and based on recent form looks the more likely to reach the semi-finals in Manchester.

Dobey lost 6-3 when these two last faced off in the Premier League on night five, and if we see a similar game this Thursday then Van den Bergh to hit the most 180s at 11/8 seems a decent punt, with a repeat of the 6-3 scoreline a 6/1 chance.

Michael Smith v Nathan Aspinall

Michael Smith put on a stunning display last week, catapulting his way into third place and solidifying his top four prospects.

Both men have come into a good run of form at the right time, but it’s fair to say Smith has the superior throwing ability as the world number one. In the battle for a top four finish, who knows how critical this matchup could be, but Smith is the 8/13 favourite here and he will be full of confidence.

Nathan Aspinall has snuck his way into two consecutive semi-finals against challenging opponents, as well as taking the overall victory in Rotterdam. He is 13/10 here but could easily outplay his odds if replicating recent form.

Overall, this looks to be a thrilling quarter-final, with a tight scoreline the likely outcome. Both men can sink 180s in their sleep and they are 8/13 to hit over 5.5 in this matchup, again a real possibility given the skill of both men.

Gerwyn Price v Michael van Gerwen

This is a true clash of the titans with Gerwyn Price top of the table on 33 points and Michael van Gerwen trailing on a solid 29.

This marks the first quarter-final for Van Gerwen where he hasn’t been the heavy favourite. In his last two matches he suffered defeat to Nathan Aspinall and Peter Wright, two huge underdogs. The 11/10 Dutchman has openly admitted that he isn’t too concerned about dropping in form as long as he is in shape for the top four quarter finals.

Price has come into an unbelievable run of form, arguably the best we have seen him, having clinched four overall nights’ victories. He will be full of confidence for this matchup given he bettered Van Gerwen 6-5 in week 11, in what was an unbelievably well contested triumph.

At 8/11, Price will be keen to cement his place as top dog in the table. However, we can’t forget the utter dominance Van Gerwen can display when he feels like doing so, and this might be an opportunity for the Dutchman to have a little nibble back at Price before they undoubtedly lock horns again on the big stage for the playoffs.

Check out the latest darts betting promotions at William Hill