Power Cut Predicted In Cardiff On Thursday

Michael van Gerwen suffered his first defeat of the tournament last Thursday, going down 7-3 to countryman Raymond van Barneveld, but the chasing pack couldn’t take advantage.

Dave Chisnall lost to Phil Taylor, who closed the gap in fourth, whilst Gary Anderson was held to a draw by James Wade. At the bottom of the table, Stephen Bunting picked up just one point from a possible four and has it all to do.

Stephen Bunting v Gary Anderson
Two matches in one night gave Stephen Bunting the chance to climb off the bottom of the table last week but he couldn’t take advantage and it’s hard to see him shake off his current malaise against Gary Anderson, who has won four of their last five, although Anderson’s own rocky form means he isn’t one to bank on at 8/13.

James Wade v Michael van Gerwen
Having looked sloppy against Raymond van Barneveld last week, Michael van Gerwen was fortunate that none of his rivals were able to take advantage and he has two opportunities to reassert his dominance on Thursday, although the first of them is not straightforward. James Wade has not been at his best in this tournament, but he came close to beating Gary Anderson last week and van Gerwen is no banker at 4/7.

Raymond van Barneveld v Dave Chisnall
Dave Chisnall missed an opportunity to top the table when he lost to Phil Taylor, but he didn’t play too badly and can bounce back against Raymond van Barneveld. As predicted here last week, Barney upset the odds to beat Michael van Gerwen and he’s playing with freedom at the moment, but Chisnall has the better form and I don’t think he should be odds against to win this. Back him at 11/8.

Phil Taylor v Adrian Lewis

Adrian Lewis doesn’t have a great record in this tournament and he was struggling in the early weeks, but having avoided elimination, he’s picked up a couple of solid wins and is looking confident at the moment.

By contrast, Taylor is looking a little wobbly as demonstrated by his failure to close out a 5-2 lead against Stephen Bunting last time, and I fancy Lewis to edge this one at 15/8.

Gary Anderson v Michael van Gerwen
This is potentially the match of the night. If Michael van Gerwen is as wasteful as he was last week, then his opponent is good enough to take advantage, but I can’t see van Gerwen being that sloppy in a crucial game. Anderson isn’t in great form himself and as the head-to-head record stands 16-8 in the world champion’s favour, the 21/20 about a van Gerwen win looks a solid bet.