Darts Premier League
Premier League Darts Night 8 preview: MVG remains tournament favourite
The Premier League continued to throw up more winners last Thursday, with Joe Cullen taking his maiden Night win in Rotterdam. He hadn’t won a single Premier League game since his run to the final on Night 2 but strung together three solid matches to take the title, beating Michael van Gerwen in the final.
Despite his loss, MVG remains the tournament favourite, currently priced at 12/5, and continued his form over the weekend. Is he still the man to beat heading into Night 8 in Birmingham?
In this blog, we take a look at the front runners for the eighth Premier League fixture.
Mighty Mike leading the way
MVG has started to pick up more and more steam as the weeks have rolled on. He’s still yet to win another TV major, his last coming over a year ago, but his current form suggests that he could easily win one this year. Having already won the German Darts Championship a few weeks ago, Van Gerwen followed up that success with victory in Players’ Championship 8 last weekend. After that win, he sent a message to both world number one and two Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price – ‘I’ll be on top soon’. His momentum has been impressive, it’s no secret that 2021 was a disaster for the Dutchman to his own very high standards. Can he continue his rise this week?
The Dutchman was able to reach last week’s final, his third in this year’s competition and the first in which he’s lost. He’s the one to beat according to the market, as he’s the current favourite to win Night 8 (12/5). This week, he faces James Wade (25/1) in his opening game, who is yet to win a Premier League game since Night 4. However, Wade also carries a bit of form from the weekend, reaching the quarter-finals of PC8 before losing to Luke Humphries.
A tough fixture awaits either man, however, as the winner goes on to face last week’s winner Joe Cullen or current world number two Gerwyn Price.
The Iceman dazzling despite injury
Gerwyn Price has made it clear that he is still struggling with his hand despite his strong results recently. It’s been troubling the Iceman for a few weeks now, but that didn’t stop him romping to Players’ Championship 7 success over the weekend, beating both Dirk van Duijvenbode and Rob Cross in the process. He’s on the hunt for his world number one spot, which is predicted to switch hands between himself and Peter Wright all the way up to the World Championship. He’s still playing high-quality darts despite his injury woes, so it’s no surprise to see him third-favourite at 4/1.
As mentioned above, Price plays Cullen in his opener. An already proven winner at this high level, Cullen defeated Gary Anderson and Peter Wright before beating MVG in last week’s final. If playing at his best, he’s a hard game for anyone and is currently priced at 11/1 to win back-to-back Premier League nights.
Snakebite aiming to regain form
Peter Wright currently occupies the world number one spot but only has a cushion of £10,000. He missed out on last weekend’s Players’ Championships but was below standard in PC5 and PC6 the week prior. He’ll be hoping to bounce back this week as Price breathes down his neck.
In last week’s Premier League, Wright was knocked out in the semis by eventual winner Joe Cullen, but those crucial points mean he remains second in the table, two points behind the league leader Michael van Gerwen. More points and a win will be on the world number one’s mind this week, and he’s second favourite to do just that (7/2).
He plays Gary Anderson (14/1) in his opening game. The last time the pair faced each other was on Night 7, where Anderson beat Wright in the semis on the way to his first Night win. As it is with every player, it depends which Gary turns up here as, when at his best, he can wipe the floor with the best players in the world. It’s worth bearing in mind that Anderson was another who missed both Players’ Championships last weekend.
Smith looking to get over the line
It’s been tough for Michael Smith recently, reaching a handful of finals but ultimately walking away with the runners-up trophy. We all know it’s around the corner. It may be a case of floodgates once he wins one. Will this Thursday be the night where he finally gets over the line? He’s come close already, reaching the final on two separate occasions – Night 5 and Night 6. Smith is priced at 7/1 to get over the line in Birmingham.
It’s always a tough draw in the Premier League, it’s the eight best players in the world right now, and Jonny Clayton is never an easy game. Clayton has yet to reach a final since his Night 2 success but remains third in the table after reaching multiple semi-finals. The Ferret will be hoping for his second Night win here which would certainly bolster his title defence (6/1).
