Barney To Wade Through To Play-Off Spot

The Premier League Darts continues this Thursday with some cracking match-ups to look forward to.

The Tournament So Far
With just two rounds to go before the Premier League play-offs, the top four is almost complete. Last week in Birmingham, Dave Chisnall became the second player to book his place in the semi-finals, whilst Raymond van Barneveld continued his remarkable revival, winning both of his matches on the night to shoot up into third. Phil Taylor slipped out of the top four after defeat to Michael van Gerwen and needs to win both of his remaining matches to have any chance of making the knock-out stages.

Dave Chisnall v Stephen Bunting
After a couple of defeats, Dave Chisnall got his Premier League campaign back on track with a victory over Adrian Lewis last week and is the strong favourite to beat Stephen Bunting, whose slim chance of making the play-offs ended in Birmingham after a draw with James Wade. But although Bunting has had a tough time on his Premier League debut, his results have picked up in recent weeks. This is no straightforward task for Chisnall and he’s not one to back with confidence at Evens.

Adrian Lewis v Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen hasn’t kept up the all-conquering form that saw him go ten matches undefeated, but he bounced back from a run of two defeats in three to beat Phil Taylor last week, and I can’t see him slipping up on Thursday. Adrian Lewis’s mini-revival came to a halt last week with a brace of defeats and he hasn’t beaten van Gerwen since November 2013, a run of ten matches without success.

A van Gerwen victory looks a formality and he can be safely backed at 4/7.

James Wade v Raymond van Barneveld
Raymond van Barneveld’s Premier League revival has been eye-catching. The reigning champion was languishing in eighth place going into Elimination Night, but five wins in a row have catapulted him up the table and he can secure his play-off spot on Thursday.

James Wade is a tough competitor, but has been out of sorts throughout, and is without a win in six. At odds against, van Barneveld looks excellent value and he should be backed to pick up another victory at 6/5.

Phil Taylor v Gary Anderson
Phil Taylor has never failed to make the last four of the Premier League, but is in imminent danger of missing out this year. A victory over Gary Anderson is a must, but could you rely on Taylor in his current form? One win in six suggests not. Anderson has also struggled of late, and has a similar record, though he benefited from a strong start to the tournament. Two players struggling for form suggests this could be a scrappy one and neither appeals as a betting proposition.

*Prices correct at time of publication.