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Michael Smith takes on Michael van Gerwen

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

By Chris Hammer

Darts

Thu March 05, 2020 · 5y ago

The Unibet Premier League Darts season heads into Exeter on Thursday night and we have match-by-match predictions, best bets and a suggested acca.

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The second big televised major of the season is almost upon us, but before 160 players begin their quest for UK Open glory at the Butlin's Minehead Resort this weekend, there's another night of Premier League action to take care of in Exeter.

Last week's nine-dart hero Michael Smith takes on Michael van Gerwen in arguably the most eye-catching of the five match-ups while this week's Challenger Luke Humphries has been thrown in at the deep end against Gary Anderson.

Premier League Night Five: Thursday March 6

Click on the odds for more Sky Bet match markets

TV Coverage: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)
Format: Maximum of 12 legs
Chris Hammer's Double: Gurney and Aspinall at 6.56/1
Suggested Treble: Gurney, Price & Aspinall at 12.6/1

Rob Cross (11/10) v Daryl Gurney (7/4), draw (3/1)

Head-to-head: 10-6 (TV: 7-3)
Meetings since start of 2019: 7-3 (TV: 5-2)
PDC Titles Since Start of 2019: 2-2 (TV: 2-0)
Career PDC Titles: 9-5 (TV: 4-2)

Night five in Exeter opens up with a clash between two players we're all waiting to find some form after disappointing starts to 2020 - although Rob Cross has at least enjoyed some bright sparks.

Voltage's averages are well below what we've been used to seeing from him in previous seasons as he continues to adapt to his weight loss and he needed to rely on his battling spirit to draw with Gerwyn Price and beat Nathan Aspinall in the opening two weeks of the season.

Since then Cross, who has reached just one quarter-final from seven tournaments this season, took Peter Wright and Gary Anderson to deciding legs in 7-5 defeats despite his low 90s averages being considerably less than his opponents, so there can be no doubting his desire to regain his spark.

The Hastings man also boasts a strong head-to-head record with Daryl Gurney, which includes that unforgettable comeback in last year's World Matchplay semi-final as well as the last four of the European Championship - two tournaments he went on to win of course.

Super Chin just hasn't got going at all this season, winning just six matches from seven events and failing to venture further than the last 16 in any of them. His Premier League draw with Gerwyn Price bucked the trend while he'll be kicking himself to lose 7-5 against Michael Smith, whose nine-darter only helped him reach an average of 89!

On 'form', Cross is favourite but he's also an ideal opponent for Gurney to finally get a victory under his belt. You can get 3/1 on him to do so with over 2.5 180s and a checkout of more than 78.5 - levels which I think he's well capable of even during this slump.

Prediction: 4-7

Suggested bet: Gurney to win, score over 2.5 180s and checkout over 78.5 at 3/1

Gerwyn Price (4/5) v Glen Durrant (5/2), draw (3/1)

Head-to-head: 6-3 (TV: 2-0)
Meetings since start of 2019: 5-3 (TV: 1-0)
PDC Titles Since Start of 2019: 7-2 (TV: 1-0)
Career PDC Titles: 11-2 (TV: 2-0)

It's so very difficult to split the big three of Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price when debating who the best player in the world right now is, but on current form I'm giving the edge to the Welshman.

Price reached his third final in a row at the weekend - and fourth of the season - when winning the inaugural Belgian Darts Championship, which came just seven days after defeating van Gerwen in a gripping clash to clinch his first title of the season.

The two finals he lost against Nathan Aspinall and Peter Wright were also played in great spirit and sportingly took both defeats on the chin before bouncing back for the next tournaments.

He's shown similar resolve in the Premier League where he never seemed too downhearted by opening the season with three draws - even if he was secretly frustrated - and in each of those he had to win the deciding leg to snatch a point.

Finally it all clicked into place last Thursday with a thumping 7-1 victory of Peter Wright, although to say Snakebite's average of 83.59 made his life easy is quite some understatement.

As well as Glen Durrant has started his maiden Premier League campaign, unless his finishing is a lot sharper than it was during his defeat to Nathan Aspinall last week, I don't think he'll be able to live with Price in this kind of relentless mood.

Prediction: 7-3

Suggested bet: Under 10.5 legs at 13/8

Nathan Aspinall (7/4) v Peter Wright (1/1), draw (7/2)

Head-to-head: 3-1 (TV: 1-0)
Meetings since start of 2019: 3-0 (TV: 1-0)
PDC Titles Since Start of 2019: 3-8 (TV: 2-3)
Career PDC Titles: 4-30 (TV: 2-7)

Peter Wright wanted to face Michael van Gerwen rather than Nathan Aspinall in the World Championship final so that he could reach the top of the sport by beating the best.

Or was it really because he wanted to avoid the Asp?!

The pair have only met on four occasions and Aspinall has won the last three, including their sole televised meeting at the 2019 US Darts Masters when both players averaged over 100 in a thrilling semi-final clash.

Snakebite missed a dart at tops for the match in a deciding leg and was duly punished by the World Series debutant, who went on to defeat Michael Smith with a 106.70 average and clinch his second televised title.

2019 US Darts Masters Semi Final Aspinall vs Wright

In their most recent clash earlier this season, Aspinall hit a nine-darter in the ninth leg of a spectacular 6-4 victory, which he polished off with a 137 checkout, and only two of the 10 played was won with 14 darts or more.

He averaged 117.5 compared to the world champion's 113.7 and then went on to win the title by defeating Gerwyn Price.

Aspinall is of course gearing up for his first career title defence at the UK Open crown this weekend and is strongly fancied to give the 2017 champion a real game on the eve of the FA Cup of Darts.

The Stockport ace followed up his brilliant 7-5 victory over MVG with a hard-fought triumph against Glen Durrant by the same scoreline and now finds himself joint top of the standings and three points above Wright.

Last week's 7-1 hammering at the hands of Price, in which Snakebite averaged 83, can be pretty much written off as just a blip in light of the consistent stunning performances he's been posting for most of the season, including this weekend when he reached the semi-finals in Belgium.

Aspinall looked set to get that far too but his second successive average of 103 wasn't good enough to defeat an inspired Dirk van Duijenbode in a quarter-final that went to the deciding leg.

I think we can expect plenty of excitement in this one that goes the distance.

Prediction: 7-5

Suggested bet: Aspinall to win, score over 2.5 180s and a checkout of over 100.5 at 5/1

Paul Nicholson focuses on the UK Open in this week's column

Click on the image to read Paul Nicholson's latest column

Gary Anderson (8/11) v Luke Humphries (5/2), draw (7/2)

Head-to-head: 1-0 (TV: 0-0)
Meetings since start of 2019: 0-0 (TV: 0-0)
PDC Titles Since Start of 2019: 1-0 (TV: 0-0)
Career PDC Titles: 47-0 (TV: 19-0)

Luke Humphries is licking his lips ahead of his second bite of the Premier League cherry and is once again paired up with a giant of the game.

Not that any fixture in this tournament is 'easy' but I think it's fair to say there are softer match-ups than Gerwyn Price, whom he brilliantly drew 6-6 with last year, and Thursday's opponent Gary Anderson.

The World Youth champion won't mind this one iota and, if anything, he'll relish this opportunity to take on a darting great on the big stage as he looks to gets more valuable experience like this under his belt.

Humphries, 25, may well be a familiar face in the world of darts having reached the Alexandra Palace quarter-finals in each of the last two years but despite this he's remarkably only featured in two other televised tournaments - the UK Open (2018 and 2019) and the Players Championship Finals last year.

This is his first full season on the Pro Tour after his successful tenure in the Development Tour and while he's got got past the last 32 in any of the six Players Championship events in 2020, he is looking the type of competitor who revels under the bright lights.

Anderson, meanwhile, is blowing hot and cold this season and it's hard enough trying to predict which version will show up, let alone the outcome of his matches.

The Flying Scotsman started the season like a (excuse the pun) train by winning the opening Players Championship event but he's gone no further than the last 16 in the other five and been equally inconsistent in this tournament.

His lowest average of 94.71 came in one of his two wins against Daryl Gurney thanks to a tremendous late burst but there hasn't been much to fear as a general rule.

All these factors combined means Humphries is only a relatively skinny 5/2 for victory and 10/11 with a 1.5 leg start on the handicap.

I think this has the making of a clash that could go far and I'll go with the youngster to pip it.

Prediction: 4-7

Suggested bet: Match to have over 10/5 legs, a high checkout of over 100.5 and more than 5.5 180s at 13/8

Michael Smith (4/1) v Michael van Gerwen (4/9), draw (4/1)

Head-to-head: 8-30 (TV: 2-11)
Meetings since start of 2019: 2-5 (TV: 1-4)
PDC Titles Since Start of 2019: 0-14 (TV: 0-8)
Career PDC Titles: 11-133 (TV: 2-53)

Before we get into previewing this match, let's enjoy Michael Smith's nine-dart heroics from last week.

Michael Smith's first televised nine-darter and the first from anyone on the Premier League stage since 2017! Dublin erupts but he stays pretty cool! pic.twitter.com/7A7ReJtWxx
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) February 27, 2020

I still find it amazing that he saved his first televised perfect leg for an otherwise low-quality match in which he averaged 88.19, threw a trio of 20-darters and missed 11 of his darts at doubles in a 7-5 victory.

It's a career achievement he's now "ticked off his list" but his priority is obviously winning a big major and perhaps he's in the perfect frame of mind to end that long wait at this weekend's UK Open.

Although Bully Boy didn't play his best darts against Gurney amid all the excitement of his nine-darter, he produced a string of superb displays on the stage of the Belgian Darts Championship this past weekend and he couldn't be better prepared to take on Michael van Gerwen.

For a start, he held his nerve to beat the world number one for just the eighth time in 38 attempts during the last 16 on Sunday, edging a deciding leg for a 6-5 victory, while he raised his game further to see off Mervyn King 6-1 with a 107.85 average before defeating Peter Wright 7-5 in a classy semi-final in which both players recorded marks of over 100.

He fell short against man of the moment Gerwyn Price 8-3 with the title on the line but all in all he's in a good place.

Van Gerwen isn't playing badly this season by any means despite his lack of trophies and currently sits top of the Premier League table, but he's not quite the formidable force of old and Smith is good value to maintain his crest of a wave.

Prediction: 7-4

Suggested bet: Smith to win, score more than 2.5 180s and a checkout of over 68.5 at 6/1