Darts Premier League
Premier League Darts Night 6 preview: Smith to taste home turf victory?
Last week saw Michael van Gerwen secure a second successive Premier League title in Exeter, but this week we head to Liverpool for what is set to be a cracking week six showdown as Michael Smith hopes to secure a Premier League title on home turf.
We preview all of the quarter-final clashes below.
Gerwyn Price v Peter Wright
Peter Wright, the second ranked player globally, hasn’t been in his usual good form this Premier League season. He remains the only contestant still on zero points and will head into this duel as the 6/5 underdog.
Last week saw Snakebite lose in the opening round to Jonny Clayton, and he remains yet to win a single opening game. However, his opponent Gerwyn Price hasn’t done too badly having won a Premier League title already this season. He looks well equipped to avenge his last outing against Snakebite in the Nordic Masters where he was hammered by Wright.
Price heads into this fixture the 4/6 favourite and the Welshman will fancy his chances after back-to-back defeats to Michael van Gerwen in the finals at Dublin and last weekend in the opening match. Wright is no Van Gerwen, and this drop back in calibre should suit Price well.
This is shaping up to be a curious opening match-up, but Price should edge it out in his current form. Both players have the ability to hit 180s consistently, and given the high stakes involved in Premier League action, over 5.5 total match 180s at 10/11 seems a decent punt.
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Michael van Gerwen v Jonny Clayton
What is there left to say about Michael van Gerwen? Every occasion sees him seemingly defy our already sky-high expectations and now he is the firm leader in the Premier League Darts rankings on 15 points.
Van Gerwen has the highest three-dart average in the league with 99 and his raw talent can’t be underestimated. The dutchman is by far the heaviest favourite of the night at 2/5 and it would be a shock to everyone if he fumbles at this hurdle.
Jonny Clayton is also a special talent in his own right, having performed well so far in the tournament. This will be a rematch of last week’s final which saw van Gerwen better Clayton 6-3 and the Welshman will want revenge, despite the fact that he is actually 5-3 against van Gerwen in their last eight meetings.
On balance, Clayton at 19/10 doesn’t seem the worst bet, although given van Gerwen’s unrivalled talent the challenger will be facing an uphill battle. Either way both of these men possess electric energy when they are on stage, and this will be one you don’t want to miss!
Chris Dobey v Nathan Aspinall
Chris Dobey had a blinding start in Belfast where he took home the first Premier League title on offer. However, his form has since deteriorated and the Englishman has been unable to produce a single win since.
Dobey will walk out the 11/10 underdog, but given his recent form and second-from-last ranking in the leaderboard, the odds seem generous at best. His last loss saw him bow out to Dimitri Van den Bergh and if he is to reclaim any hopes of climbing the leaderboard, he will need to put a shift in at Liverpool.
Nathan Aspinall is the 8/11 favourite in this match-up, and rightly so given his outstanding and consistent form over the course of the tournament. He has only failed to make it past the quarterfinals in one week so far and will be highly motivated to secure his first Premier League title this season.
The pair are well matched, but given Aspinall’s superb showing so far, Dobey will need to have another blinder like his opening week to better the favourite. If you fancy Aspinall to hit more 180s, he is 5/4 to produce more than his opponent.
Michael Smith v Dimitri Van den Bergh
In what should be one of the most thrilling games of the night, number one ranked Michael Smith will face off against Dimitri Van den Bergh.
Smith is the favourite at 4/7, which is no surprise given Liverpool will be his home leg of the tournament. The Englishman won night three, however in the two nights since, he has failed to make the final, getting knocked out in the semi-final and then the quarterfinals last week.
Dimitri Van den Bergh is yet to claim a night’s title; however he has only won one less match than his opponent and seems in good form regardless. The Belgium athlete is 11/8 to achieve the upset and will need to bring his A game to Liverpool.
As mentioned, this is home turf for Smith, and he will want to put on a dominant display throughout the night. As long as the pressure doesn’t get to the world number one, he should be able to get the job done.
