PL Darts Tips: MVG to edge Smith, Cross success and a 5/1 oche acca
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The Premier League roadshow heads to Glasgow on Thursday evening, where the top two in the division will slug it out in the feature game of the night.
Michael van Gerwen takes on Michael Smith in the battle for top spot, while there are also enticing tungsten tussles between Mensur Suljovic and Daryl Gurney and Raymond van Barneveld and Peter Wright to get stuck into.
We’ve previewed all of Thursday night’s action and come up with another oche acca to help you get even more out of the arrows…
Mensur Suljovic to beat Daryl Gurney
We kick things off with a humdinger of a clash between Suljovic and Gurney. Don’t be fooled by their positions in the table, these two are playing some fantastic darts.
Suljovic is the only player other than van Gerwen to have a competition average over 100.00. Meanwhile, Gurney is the league’s top-180 scorer with 23 to his name so far.
Perhaps crucially, it’s the Austrian slinger that has a better checkout percentage than his opponent. The 46-year-old has a 17% edge on the Northern Irishman, which could prove crucial in the Glasgow opener.
It’s 11/8 for a Suljovic victory, while you can get 11/2 about The Gentle edging proceedings 7-4. Gurney’s 180 record speaks for itself. He’s 6/5 to score a maximum in the opening leg of the match.
Michael van Gerwen to beat Michael Smith
The top two in the table meet in the second game of the evening as van Gerwen takes on Smith. MVG displaced the Englishman a fortnight ago and currently heads the pack on leg difference.
Both players won in convincing style in Nottingham last week, making this match a difficult one to call. The Green Machine is ahead in the Premier League in terms of 180s hit, overall average and cumulative checkout percentage.
Add in that he’s beaten Smith in eight of their last nine meetings – including 7-1 in this competition back in 2016 – and this match looks to be going only one way.
Van Gerwen is 1/4 to see off Bully Boy, with 8/1 saying that he edges a close encounter 7-5. Smith won the opening leg in his victory over Peter Wright last week and is 5/2 to do so again here.
Gary Anderson to beat Simon Whitlock
It’s Scotland v Australia in the third game of the night as Gary Anderson looks to end a run of three straight draws against Simon Whitlock.
Ando has enjoyed a profitable 2018 so far after landing the UK Open earlier this month. He’s the 4/9 favourite to pick up his third victory in a row against the Aussie and give the Scots their first victory in international week.
Otherwise, you can back the 47-year-old to rattle in Over 3.5 180s at even-money. He’s chalked up 22 in the competition so far.
Raymond van Barneveld v Peter Wright – Draw
It’s all gone wrong for Peter Wright. The flamboyant Scotsman comes into this match off the back of successive 7-1 defeats, which have left him fighting for his Premier League life.
His opponent tonight – Raymond van Barneveld – is performing slightly better but is only two points above Snakebite in the table. Victory in Glasgow is vital for both players.
And with plenty at stake, we think it’s highly likely that the penultimate match of the night will be an extremely close affair. With that in mind, it’s 3/1 for the game to finish in a 6-6 draw.
Wright didn’t manage a single 180 in his loss to Smith last Thursday. He only chalked up one maximum in the previous week against Suljovic. You can back him to hit Under 2.5 180s in this match at 11/10.
Rob Cross to beat Gerwyn Price
Cross put in the performance of the Premier League so far to beat Suljovic 7-2 last week. The world champion recorded a 106.49 average to demolish the Austrian and extend his winning running to four matches.
Against Price, who has lost his last four and is winless in six, Voltage should have the spark required once again to leave the Iceman feeling the heat.
The 27-year-old is odds-on at 2/5 to win the contest. It’s 9/2 that he claims a 7-2 victory for the second week in a row. You can back him to hit a First Leg 180 at 8/5.
This week’s Oche Acca is Suljovic, van Gerwen, Anderson and Cross all to win at 5/1!
All Odds and Markets correct as of date of publication
