The Unibet Premier League Darts motors on this weekend and we have match-by-match predictions, best bets and a suggested acca for Saturday's action.
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Two more tips out of four came in last night as well as three predicted winners, but frustratingly the treble was yet again let down by one result thanks to Peter Wright blowing a 5-2 lead against Gary Anderson.
But let's down dwell on the negatives like a players who misses match darts and forgets about the times their opponents to (check out this week's Paul Nicholson's column about it) and press ahead to the fifth successive night in Milton Keynes...
Premier League Night 11: Saturday August 29
Click on the odds for more Sky Bet match markets
- TV Coverage: Sky Sports (1830 BST)
- Format: Maximum of 14 legs
- Suggested Acca: Wright (-2.5), Smith & Durrant at 9.5/1
- 'Win or draw' acca: Wright, Smith, Durrant & MVG at 2.5/1
Daryl Gurney (3/1) v Peter Wright (4/7), draw (4/1)
- Head-to-head: 11-17, 3 draws (TV: 7-8, 3 draws)
- Meetings since start of 2019: 4-4, 1 draw (TV: 3-3, 1 draw)
- Last Meeting: 4-7 (Premier League, Aug 2020)
- Individual Career PDC Titles: 5-30 (TV: 2-6)
- PDC Titles this season: 0-3 (TV: 0-1)
The first of two Judgement Night rematches gets the action under way, as world champion Peter Wright looks to seal a quick-fire double over Daryl Gurney.
Just two days have passed since SuperChin's great escape was sealed despite his 7-4 defeat against Snakebite, but it hasn't taken long for him to fall back onto the canvas after succumbing meekly to a below-par Michael Smith.
Gurney is rock bottom of the new table with six points, three adrift of seventh-placed Gerwyn Price and a whopping six behind the play-off places, so unless he picks up a win double this weekend, he may find himself with nothing but pride to play for next week. Some may even argue that's realistically the case now.
His body language wasn't great against Smith, averaging less than 90 for the second time in four days, and the only thing going for him here is his pretty sold record against Wright having beaten him in three of their last five televised meetings, including this year's UK Open and last year's epic World Matchplay quarter-final.
This season's Masters champion really should be coming into this clash on 14 points in second place but blew a 5-2 lead to lose 8-5 to World Cup-winning team-mate Gary Anderson, and his three missed darts at tops over two legs from 5-3 up proved fatal.
That said he still averaged over 101 and should have too much quality and motivation compared to his counterpart.
- Predicted scoreline: 4-8
- Suggested bet: Peter Wright to win the match, score over 3.5 180s and checkout over 88.5 at 2/1
Michael Smith (11/8) v Nathan Aspinall (11/8), draw (3/1)
- Head-to-head: 7-4 (TV: 5-7)
- Meetings since start of 2019: 3-3 (TV: 2-2)
- Last Meeting: 5-7 (Premier League, August 2020)
- Individual Career PDC Titles: 10-6 (TV: 1-2)
- PDC Titles this season: 0-3 (TV: 0-0)
Another Judgement Night rematch quickly follows between two stars right in the heart of the race for the play-offs - although you could say that about six of the remaining eight players.
Nathan Aspinall produced a stunning comeback from 5-3 down to defeat Michael Smith 7-3 on Thursday in a superb encounter in which they both averaged over 102. That moved him above Bully Boy and up into third, but now the duo are both on 11 points and one behind the top four.
Smith could be in a far higher position - possibly even Glen Durrant's closest challenge - had he not been so wasteful on his finishing this week and against Aspinall he blew 13 of his 18 attempts at doubles, including eight in the final leg.
He also missed 13 of his 16 when losing 7-3 to Gary Anderson - when he still managed to average 107 - while in the two matches he won against Rob Cross and Daryl Gurney last night, his checkout percentage was only in the mid-30s.
On those 'better' occasions his match average was in the mid-90s so if he can get his phenomenal scoring in time with his finishing on the same night, then I still feel he can get close to the top of this regular season table, as I predicted in my pre-restart preview.
He's fired in 40 maximums this Premier League season, including 23 this week, and my bet for three of his four matches at the Marshall Arena has been to win and hit most 180s. The other selection was over 7.5 180s in his clash against Nathan Aspinall, who has hit 36 this season and 18 this week, and that came in, so we should probably think about a similar strategy.
- Predicted scoreline: 8-5
- Suggested bet: Over 9.5 180s at 13/8
Gary Anderson (13/8) v Glen Durrant (11/10), draw (3/1)
- Head-to-head: 1-1 (TV: 0-1)
- Meetings since start of 2019: 0-1 (TV: 0-1)
- Last Meeting: 4-7 (Premier League, Feb 2020)
- Individual Career PDC Titles: 47-2 (TV: 15-0)
- PDC Titles this season: 1-0 (TV: 0-0)
It's often said - even by the man himself - that what Glen Durrant lacks in natural talent, he makes up in abundance with hard work, mental strength and consistency.
Now the 'talent' debate is probably best saved for another day, but you can't tell me a player that averages of 102, 104, 106 and 99 in four successive Premier League games that includes resounding victories against Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price lacks any of it.
The ability to be so consistent and unflappable is talent. It's impossible to add up all the hours of practice that every professional has put in over their careers pro rata and say Durrant has done more than anyone else and is only world class because he needed to do more. Just because his style and throw is slower and less flair, doesn't mean he has less talents than those we brand 'naturally gifted'. How many of those have ever had a 100% record of 3-0 against MVG?
He came across to the PDC aged 48 having dominated a struggling BDO for too many years in some peoples' eyes yet adapts to the far higher level like he'd always been there. That's talent.
Gary Anderson is widely regarded almost completely the opposite in the talent stakes but I think that's being confused with factors such as flair, speed and the enjoyability to watch.
What's this got to do with tipping? Absolutely nothing, I just wanted to get that off my chest even if Durrant himself would disagree with me.
Now I don't think the three-time Lakeside champion will win all his remaining games and break the regular season points record, which currently stands at 26, but I don't think his streak will end tonight.
While some may argue his slight average drop to 99 last night suggests he could be about to lose momentum, even that level could be enough if the wrong Flying Scotsman shows up.
To be fair to Anderson, he's averaged 100 in all three of his victories, which came against Michael Smith, MVG and Peter Wright while his only stinker came in a 7-1 defeat to Gerwyn Price. However, Durrant is a player who has all the mental attributes to stand up any trademark blitzes that come his way and is the fair favourite to pull off a Premier League season double over the 2011 and 2015 champion.
- Predicted scoreline: 5-8
- Suggested bet: Glen Durrant to win the match, score over 2.5 180s and checkout over 84.5 at 5/2
Michael van Gerwen (4/5) v Gerwyn Price (9/4), draw (7/2)
- Head-to-head: 22-2, 1 draw (TV: 12-1, 1 draw)
- Meetings since start of 2019: 7-2 (TV: 6-1, 1 draw)
- Last Meeting: 7-5 (Premier League, March 2020)
- Individual Career PDC Titles: 131-11 (TV: 51-2)
- PDC Titles this season: 3-2 (TV: 1-0)
After being treated to six blockbusting televised meetings between this pair in as many months, we've sadly had to wait half a year for the next instalment of a gripping rivalry that now has a slightly different sub plot.
Although Michael van Gerwen won five of those matches, including the climaxes of the Players Championship Finals and UK Open in Minehead, Gerwyn Price had genuine claims to be considered as the world number one's chief rival ahead of Peter Wright.
The two-time Grand Slam of Darts champion, who finally beat MVG for the first time en route to his second Wolves crowd, also picked up his second Players Championship title of the season against the Dutchman away from the TV cameras but has struggled to reproduce this spark since darts resumed.
He took a while to get going at the Summer Series, flopped at the World Matchplay and has also lost two of his four matches this week to leave him playing catch-up in the race for the play-offs.
Price has only averaged over 100 once this week, when thrashing Jermaine Wattimena 7-0, and while his 7-1 victory over Gary Anderson was eye-catching, he followed that up with a below-par showing against Glen Durrant last night.
He is at least playing second-placed MVG at a good time, with the five-time champion no longer a wounded animal after his 8-6 triumph over Nathan Aspinall ended a two-match losing streak while his performance in that game didn't suggest he was going to suddenly roar back to his best anytime soon.
This encounter may lack the quality and atmosphere of previous showdowns, but it will be no less fascinating and I'm expecting a close battle.
- Predicted scoreline: 8-6
- Suggested bet: Match to have over 12.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 108.5 and over 5.5 total 180s at 6/4
2020 Premier League Darts Table
- Durrant P 10 W 7 D 2 L 1 LegD +22 Pts 16
- Van Gerwen P 10 W 6 D 0 L 4 LegD +8 Pts 12
- Wright P 10 W 5 D 2 L 3 LegD +7 Pts 12
- Anderson P 10 W 5 D 2 L 3 LegD 3 Pts 12
- Smith P 10 W 5 D 1 L 4 LegD +7 Pts 11
- Aspinall P 10 W 5 D 1 L 4 LegD +3 Pts 11
- Price P 10 W 3 D 3 L 4 LegD +6 Pts 9
- Gurney P 10 W 2 D 2 L 6 LegD -13 Pts 6
- Cross P 9 W 1 D 3 L 5 LegD -14 Pts 5* ELIMINATED AT JUDGEMENT NIGHT
Remaining fixtures and dates
Night 12, Sunday August 30
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
- Nathan Aspinall v Gary Anderson
- Peter Wright v Gerwyn Price
- Michael van Gerwen v Michael SMith
- Glen Durrant v Daryl Gurney
Night 13 - Wednesday September 2
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
- Glen Durrant v Michael SMith
- Daryl Gurney v Gary Anderson
- Peter Wright v Michael van Gerwen
- Gerwyn Price v Nathan Aspinall
Night 14 - Thursday September 3
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
- Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney
- Gary Anderson v Michael Smith
- Peter Wright v Nathan Aspinall
- Glen Durrant v Michael van Gerwen
Night 15 - Friday September 4
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
- Daryl Gurney v Nathan Aspinall
- Glen Durrant v Peter Wright
- Gary Anderson v Michael van Gerwen
- Michael Smith v Gerwyn Price
Night 16 Saturday September 5
Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
- Peter Wright v Michael Smith
- Michael van Gerwen v Daryl Gurney
- Nathan Aspinall v Glen Durrant
- Gerwyn Price v Gary Anderson
Play-Offs - Thursday October 22
The O2, London
TV Channel: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
Semi-Finals (Best of 19 legs)
- First v Fourth
- Second v Third
Finals (Best of 21 legs)
- Winner SF 1 v Winner SF 2
