Premier League Darts: Judgement Night predictions in Rotterdam, betting tips, accas, order of play & TV time

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The bad news is that 'Judgement Night' isn't really Judgement Night anymore after the one and only relegation spot was sadly - and meekly - filled by Raymond van Barneveld in part one of this week's Rotterdam double-header.

Bidding to keep his survival hopes alive in his final Premier League before retirement, Barney produced an awful performance against Daryl Gurney, who didn't play much better either, to lose 7-1 so now he has nothing put pride to play for when he faces Michael van Gerwen at the Ahoy tonight.

The good news is that the rest of the table is incredibly congested, with four points separating league leader Michael van Gerwen with eighth placed Michael Smith - so hopefully the exciting race for the play-off will continue to heat up.

Here I'lI run through all five fixtures, complete with head-to-head records, season stats so far, match verdicts, suggested bets and accas - plus a reminder of how the table looks.

Premier League Night Nine: Thursday March 28

Click on the odds for more Sky Bet match markets

• TV Coverage: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
• Format: Maximum of 12 legs

Accumulators

Treble: Gurney, de Zwaan and Smith all to win at 22/1

Four Fold: Gurney, Price, de Zwaan and Smith all to win at 55/1

Draw no bet accas: The above two accas at 11/1 and 23/1 respectively

Daryl Gurney (6/4) v Mensur Suljovic (5/4), draw (3/1)

Best Average: 100.05 - 101.38
Tournament 180s: 16 - 19
Checkout %: 39/101 - 46/100
High Checkout: 140 - 136

Head-to-head: 7-5
Meetings since start of 2018: 1-1
PDC Titles Since Start of 2018: 1-2
Career Titles: 3-5

Mensur Suljovic produced one of the finest comebacks of the season last night when coming from 4-0 and 5-1 down to beat Rob Cross, thanks to closing checkouts of 136 and 120 in the last two legs.

However, Voltage would have nipped it all in the bud long before that had his finishing not fallen to pieces and the fact Suljovic finished with an average of 88.71 tells a lot about the quality of the showdown.

Daryl Gurney, performance-wise, didn't play much better against Raymond van Barneveld as he also averaged in the high 80s but walked off with a 7-1 victory having been given a far easier ride than he'd have expected in Rotterdam.

The Northern Irishman will feel much more settled tonight having mathematically avoided relegation and sealed a return to Belfast next week so I think he'll be able to grind out a third successive win.

The 6/4 on him just to win is appealing enough but I'm also going to throw in him to hit most 180s to bump that price up to 3/1.

Prediction: 7-4

Suggested bet: Gurney to win and hit most 180s at 3/1

Peter Wright (5/4) v Gerwyn Price (6/4), draw (3/1)

Best Average: 106.64 - 104.11
Tournament 180s: 23 - 29
Doubles hit/attempts: 43/100 - 43/102
High Checkout: 100 - 147

Head-to-head: 12-2 (1 draw)
Meetings since start of 2018: 4-1 (1 draw)
PDC Titles Since Start of 2018: 2-4
Career Titles: 22-6

I'm not sure who was more embarrassed last night - Peter Wright or me for backing him on the handicap against Michael van Gerwen.

He was a dart away from being the victim of the 11th Premier League whitewash ever - and second of the season - but managed to save a tiny bit of face before normal service resumed in the eighth and final leg.

You can't afford to average 87 against MVG and it was no wonder he only earned three darts at a double, although I think overall we can probably dismiss the performance as a blip considering how steadily he'd been bubbling away in recent weeks.

Gerwyn Price's levels have gradually been dropping off following a superb start to the season and he now finds himself on a three-match losing streak in this tournament.

The Grand Slam of Darts champion, who won back-to-back Players Championship events earlier this season as well as reaching the UK Open semi-finals, missed a dart to salvage an entertaining draw with Michael Smith last night so don't rule out his chances of getting back on track, even if he does has an awful head-to-head record of just two wins from 15 matches against Snakebite.

It's very close to call so I'm going to head to the Match Action markets where you can get 7/4 on there being a checkout of over 100.5 and more than 5.5 total 180s.

Prediction: 5-7

Suggested bet: Match to have over 10.5 legs, high checkout of over 100.5 and over 5.5 total 180s at 7/4

Rob Cross (8/13) v Jeffrey de Zwaan (3/1), draw (7/2)

Best Average: 104.33 - NA
Tournament 180s: 21 - NA
Checkout %: 48/114 - NA
High Checkout: 164 - NA

Head-to-head: 2-0
Meetings since start of 2018: 2-0
PDC Titles Since Start of 2018: 2-1
Career Titles: 7-1

Rob Cross will be really kicking himself at squandering those 4-0 and 5-1 leads against Mensur Suljovic last night which not only cost him his place at the top of the table but also the chance to get some clear daylight between himself and fifth place.

He missed 11 straight darts at a double in those last six legs as his wheels fell off completely but he can't afford to dwell on it ahead of tonight's meeting with the dangerous final 'Contender' Jeffrey de Zwaan.

Although none of the previous eight replacements for Gary Anderson have managed to win, they have contributed to some cracking encounters, including four draws, and inspired the crowd on many occasions.

Not least John Henderson in Aberdeen...

It's an experiment which I feel has paid off overall and the wait for a victory could well end tonight as the young Dutchman steps out for his debut in front of a raucous Rotterdam crowd.

We know the 2018 World Matchplay semi-finalist can cope with the atmosphere of the big time and the last time he met Cross he averaged 106 in an epic World Championship second-round encounter, albeit in defeat.

At 3/1 his price is worth taking without needing to throw in any extras - although the handicap and draw no bet options are also good options.

Prediction: 5-7

Suggested bet: Jeffrey de Zwaan to win at 3/1

Raymond van Barneveld (13/2) v Michael van Gerwen (1/4), draw (5/1)

Best Average: 95.36 - 104.98
Tournament 180s: 16 - 23
Checkout %: 34/90 - 49/110
High Checkout: 170 - 132

Head-to-head: 20-36 (1 draw)
Meetings since start of 2018: 2-4
PDC Titles Since Start of 2018: 0-23
Career Titles: 41-121

So Raymond van Barneveld's Premier League Darts career ends tonight, fittingly in front of the most orange of all Barney Armies.

But based on last night's evidence, anyone making predictions with their heads over their hearts will find it almost impossible to find reasons to back him to bow out on a high.

Not only did he produce one of his worst performances on a televised stage when, considering how Daryl Gurney played, just a mediocre one may have been enough, but Michael van Gerwen ominously bounced back from a sluggish run to almost whitewash Peter Wright.

Barney, who has been involved in every Premier League since his debut in 2006 and last won it against MVG back in 2014, can't surely play any worse although his general level all season has been pretty poor compared to everyone else.

Only deep in our hearts can we find emotive reasons for him to give the world champion a run for his money - after all he does have a habit of conjuring up magic darts in these encounters down the years - not least in Rotterdam 12 months ago.

Regular readers of these prediction stories will know I often side against van Gerwen on the handicap - including last night when it went horribly wrong - but even I can see a situation unfold where he takes great satisfaction from handing out a big party pooping beating.

However, I'm sure there's still room for some high class darts - even if Barney's contribution is just flashes of last gasp brilliance - and my bet for this one is 4/1 on there being three or more 100+ checkouts in the match.

Prediction: 4-7

Suggested bet: Three or more 100+ checkouts at 4/1

James Wade (13/8) v Michael Smith (5/4), draw (11/4)

Best Average: 109.59 - 100.21
Tournament 180s: 29 - 26
Checkout %: 46/102 - 42/100
High Checkout: 158 - 150

Head-to-head: 12-3
Meetings since start of 2018: 4-0
PDC Titles Since Start of 2018: 2-3
Career Titles: 30-11

The Rotterdam crowd might view this clash as a case of after the Lord Mayor's show - or a Dutch equivalent of the phrase at least - but it's just as crucial as any other in terms of the race for the play-offs.

It shows how close the table is that 24 hours ago Michael Smith was in danger of relegation just one year after reaching the final and now he's a victory against James Wade away from being potentially level on points with fourth by the end of the night.

Smith produced a fantastic 90 checkout on the bullseye to claim a much needed win last night after Price had missed a dart for a 6-6 draw and even the relatively quiet St Helens man couldn't hide his emotions.

His average of 93.87 may not have been sparkling but Bully Boy does seem to be moving in the right direction after a stuttering start to the season and I reckon he can raise his game another notch see off James Wade.

No doubt plenty will be viewing this one differently, especially after the Machine averaged 103 and fired in seven 180s during an entertaining 6-6 draw with Dimitri van den Bergh, while he also has a superior head-to-head record and has won their last five meetings dating back to February 2017.

However, Smith's confidence levels will be up after last night and the shackles will hopefully come off now that the spectre of relegation isn't looming over him anymore.

I'm going to back him to win, score over 2.5 180s and have a checkout of over 78.5 which is 5/2.

Prediction: 5-7

Suggested bet: Smith to win, score over 2.5 180s and have a checkout of over 78.5 at 5/2.

2019 Premier League Darts Table

1. Van Gerwen P 8 W 5 D 1 L 2 LegD +16 Pts 11
2. Cross P 8 W 5 D 1 L 2 LegD +13 Pts 11
3. Suljovic P 8 W 4 D 2 L 2 LegD +6 Pts 10
4. Wade P 8 W 3 D 3 L 2 LegD +7 Pts 9
5. Gurney P 8 W 4 D 1 L 3 LegD -2 Pts 9
6. Wright P 8 W 2 D 4 L 2 LegD -3 Pts 8
7. Price P 8 W 2 D 3 L 3 LegD +3 Pts 7
8. Smith P 8 W 3 D 1 L 4 LegD -3 Pts 7
9. Van Barneveld P 8 W 1 D 2 L 5 LegD -16 Pts 4

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