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Phil Taylor will meet MVG at the Champions League of Darts (Pic: Lawrence Lustig)

Champions League of Darts: Betting tips, odds & predictions as Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen eye glory

19:36 · SAT September 16, 2017

The BBC-televised Champions League of Darts takes place this weekend and our expert Chris Hammer picks out his best bets.

It's not often darts fans without Sky Sports get to see the biggest names collide but this weekend they'll be served up a real treat with the second staging of the BBC-televised Champions League of Darts.

As with every tournament he enters, world number one Michael van Gerwen is the odds-on favourite but he's been drawn in the 'group of death' alongside defending champion Phil Taylor, Adrian Lewis and Raymond van Barneveld.

The other group is also stacked with talent as two-time world champion Gary Anderson, UK Open king Peter Wright, 180 machine Dave Chisnall and the dangerous Mensur Suljovic battle it out at Cardiff's Motorpoint Arena.

You can click here for our full event guide, which features the group tables, match schedule, Sky Bet odds and a BBC TV guide, while you can also click here for our player profiles which include video clips of some standout moments.

Here is our expert Chris Hammer's verdict and best bets...

Can Phil Taylor delight the 'old ladies' again?

One of the main reasons I backed Phil Taylor at 5/1 last year was because he genuinely seemed more motivated than his rivals to please the "old ladies watching us again and those who can't afford Sky". And sure he enough he proved as much with a string of superb displays to win the inaugural title.

Not only that, he thrashed world number one Michael van Gerwen twice across the weekend with a 10-4 victory in the group stages and a resounding 11-5 triumph in the final, while he also battered Peter Wright 10-5, Robert Thornton 10-2 and James Wade 11-3.

By doing so he reminded the masses of why he's the greatest ever and there's no doubt he'll be hell bent on doing so again in what will obviously be his final appearance on the Beeb before retirement.

The 57-year-old's continued strategy of picking and choosing events in 2017 has allowed him to stay as fresh and as focused as possible for the tournaments he really wants to win.

He negotiated his way into the Premier League semi-finals before missing a match dart against Peter Wright but he made amends in the World Matchplay in sensational fashion as he thrashed Snakebite 18-8 to claim glory in Blackpool for the 16th time.

Taylor was a 20/1 underdog before the tournament - and I too doubted that he'd have the mental endurance to get beyond the quarters - but he won 72 legs throughout his five matches - which included a 16-6 demotion of MVG - and lost just 31 as none of his opponents even got close to denying him.

During the Down Under swing of the World Series of Darts tour this summer, he continued to look sharp by bagging a title in Melbourne and he's now enjoyed a three-week break to prepare for glory in Cardiff.

I'd expect him to qualify for the semi-finals although it'll be crucial to get off to a winning start against Adrian Lewis, who he has defeated in four of their last six meetings, including a 17-9 triumph in Blackpool.

The format of the event means there's no guarantee which order he'll face his other two opponents but obviously his clash with MVG will be his toughest test despite holding the mental advantage due to last year's 'double', 'that' World Matchplay demolition job and the fact he's won five of their last seven meetings.

It could all therefore boil down to his crunch clash with old foe Raymond van Barneveld, who won their last meeting 10-9 in Perth and previously spurned a match dart to beat him by the same scoreline in Auckland.

That said, when it really matters Taylor has tended to come out on top during their long rivalry and this year alone comfortably beat him twice in their Premier League duels and battered him 11-3 in the World Matchplay.

If he faces Wright, who is currently out of the habit of winning trophies having won nine of them by start of July, in the last four then I'd back him to do another job on Snakebite but the other likely option is Gary Anderson.

The Flying Scotsman may not have been at his best in 2017 but we all know about his tendency - and indeed objective - to peak at key times during the season and there were increasing signs in Perth last month that he's gearing up for a serious assault on the winter majors.

If he does end up in the final it'll probably, of course, be MVG again and regardless of what happens before, he'll be the outsider.

I've probably made his backers think twice about his chances - but whoever lifts this trophy will have to do it the hard way and let's be honest, if Taylor is still capable of blitzing his way through a ridiculous tough draw like he did in Blackpool, then why not side with him again at a best of 13/2?

2016 Champions League Highlights

Is Michael van Gerwen worth backing at odds-on?

Just because I think there's a bit of value backing a revived Phil Taylor doesn't mean I'm writing off MVG. Far from it.

The rampant Dutchman has won 12 PDC tournaments this season, including the Premier League, to follow on from the 26 he captured during the last campaign, which culminated in his second world title, although he missed the three World Series of Darts events in Auckland, Melbourne and Perth this summer following the birth of his first child Zoe.

Prior to his return to the oche, MVG admitted Zoe's arrival has actually given him the motivation to win more than ever despite the distraction of nappy changes and sleepless nights (which he's probably spending on the practice board!) and he backed up those words with back-to-back titles on the European Tour.

First, the 28-year-old powered to his fourth successive Dutch Darts Masters title with a legs aggregate of 30 won and nine lost before romping to the German Darts Grand Prix title last weekend for the loss of just six legs!

He even averaged 111 for the second time of the weekend during his 6-3 victory over the highly impressive Rob Cross in the final but I guess the only caveat to all the above is that apart from Peter Wright, who he didn't meet, the fields were pretty weak compared to the one he'll be facing in Cardiff.

German Darts Grand Prix 2017 - FINAL - Rob Cross v Michael van Gerwen

Not that he can't deal with any of these seven in the Champions League but we can't read too much into the past two weeks.

He'll get through the group I'm sure - and top it too - but Wright, Anderson and Taylor have all beaten him this year and clearly boast the ability to bring him back down to earth with a bump should their paths cross in the knockout stages.

How will the groups finish up?

Below is my prediction of how both groups will finish and as you'll see I don't really see any real surprises. You could say Taylor could be the most vulnerable of the 'big four' given Raymond van Barneveld's capabilities on any given day but will he have the consistency over three group games - against top-quality opposition - to go through? At best I feel he'll 'just' pull off one shock against either MVG or Taylor and I really wouldn't be surprised if he struggles against Adrian Lewis, who has won two of their last three meetings.

In Group B, it's hard to see beyond Anderson and Wright going through while I give the edge to the Flying Scotsman in terms of top spot because not only has he shown the best recent form but he's also won five of their six matches in 2017. They don't like each other off the oche and Anderson seems to cope better in these needle occasions. You can also throw into the mix that the two-time world champion has rested since winning the Perth title while Snakebite has been disappointing in the last two weekends of European Tour action.

Because of that latter factor and the fact Wright's title-winning habit has seemingly dried up since winning the last of his nine titles of a superb 2017 at the start July, I was pondering if Dave Chisnall could represent a little value in the 'to qualify' market. However, Chizzy also suffered an equally early exit as Wright in Germany while his head-to-head against the favourites is pretty poor. He's lost four and drawn one of his 2017 games with Wright and has only beaten Anderson once in their last 10. In any case, Suljovic's slow game can be trickier to handle, especially for Anderson, and the Austrian has won two of their four meetings, which have all been pretty tight. Some punters may feel he will represent the best value when they collide.

The MVG & Anderson 'top the group' double pays 2.22/1 with Sky Bet.

Group A predicted finish

Sky Bet odds to win group in brackets