Wright to Keep It Tight Against Mighty Mike

Gerwyn Price is the best bet of the night as we start a double-header in Rotterdam. His opponent Michael Smith is badly out of form, and Price can take him down at an attractive price.

James Wade should have too much for dancing Dmitri Van den Bergh, the latest substitute for the injured Gary Anderson.

Leader Rob Cross is strongly fancied by the bookies to prevail over Mensur Suljovic. But there is one interesting statistic that suggests the market may be wrong.

Peter Wright loves nothing more than a win over his old nemesis Michael van Gerwen, and this week seems to present a golden opportunity to gain a victory.

An interesting card concludes with Daryl Gurney up against relegation candidate Raymond van Barneveld.

Get the best odds on Premier League Darts with our selected bookmakers below

 

Week Eight – Ahoy Rotterdam, Rotterdam

Wednesday 27^st March Sky Sports Main Event

Gerwyn Price v Michael Smith

James Wade v Dmitri Van den Bergh

Rob Cross v Mensur Suljovic

Peter Wright v Michael van Gerwen

Raymond van Barneveld v Daryl Gurney

 

2019 Unibet Premier League Darts Week Eight Match Previews

Gerwyn Price v Michael Smith

Tip – Gerwyn Price to win 2.55Bet €100 to win €25531/20Bet £100 to win £255+155Bet $100 to win $2551.55Bet HK$100 to win HK$2551.55Bet Rp100 to win Rp255-0.6452Bet RM100 to win RM255

Price had an excellent start to the year, both in the Premier League and in the weekly tour events. His Premier League form has tailed off recently with successive defeats to Michael van Gerwen and Rob Cross, though these are the top two in the league. The Welshman will be keen to get the show back on the road and tonight looks an excellent opportunity.

Bully Boy has had a poor run of form since reaching the World Championship final. He has just two Premier League victories so far, against RVB and substitute Nathan Aspinall who appeared to let the occasion get to him. His averages have been below-standard also, with a dismal 85 against Mensur Suljovic in Berlin last week being very worrying.

Our decision to oppose Smith last week with the outsider Suljovic proved fruitful, and it looks worthwhile to go for the underdog again this week.

James Wade v Dmitri Van den Bergh

Tip – James Wade to win 2.20Bet €100 to win €2206/5Bet £100 to win £220+120Bet $100 to win $2201.20Bet HK$100 to win HK$2201.20Bet Rp100 to win Rp220-0.8333Bet RM100 to win RM220

The Machine has had a decent campaign so far. Eight points from his seven games place him in the middle of a tight battle for the play-off places. Highlights have included a win over a below-par MVG in Exeter and a 109 average in a whitewash of Daryl Gurney.

Van den Bergh is the latest once-off replacement for the injured Gary Anderson. He has a better profile than many of the substitutes, with quarter-final placings at the Grand Slam of Darts and The World Championship being his 2018 highlights. Twice a winner of the PDC World Youth Championship, the young Belgian will likely have the support of the crowd and is a plausible winner. However, the large crowds and atmosphere seem to be causing the contenders some problems in the early legs and none of them has won a match yet.

It is a little surprising that Wade is available at odds-against.

Rob Cross v Mensur Suljovic

Tip – Mensur Suljovic to win 3.10Bet €100 to win €31021/10Bet £100 to win £310+210Bet $100 to win $3102.10Bet HK$100 to win HK$3102.10Bet Rp100 to win Rp310-0.4762Bet RM100 to win RM310

Suljovic is always difficult to predict. A few weeks ago he looked barely interested in the event, yet back-to-back wins over James Wade and Michael Smith have seen him shoot up the table into third place.

Voltage has had a fine campaign so far and is top of the leader-board as we near the halfway stage. Four wins in a row against Gurney, Smith, RVB and Price have all been achieved with 100+ averages. This indicates a player performing at the top of his game.

Both performed well in the European Open at the weekend. Suljovic made another semi-final whilst Cross was runner-up, both falling victim to MVG.

I tipped both these players to win their games last week at very nice prices, so it feels almost treasonous to pick one. The Austrian has won their last four meetings which is the sort of statistic I love, especially at a juicy 3.10Bet €100 to win €31021/10Bet £100 to win £310+210Bet $100 to win $3102.10Bet HK$100 to win HK$3102.10Bet Rp100 to win Rp310-0.4762Bet RM100 to win RM310.

Peter Wright v Michael van Gerwen

Tip – Peter Wright to win 4.50Bet €100 to win €4507/2Bet £100 to win £450+350Bet $100 to win $4503.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$4503.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp450-0.2857Bet RM100 to win RM450. Draw No Bet 

Snakebite still has just two wins to his name, against lowly-ranked guest player Steve Lennon and the woeful Raymond van Barneveld. His form and averages have improved recently but he is finding ways to draw games that he could be winning. He seems to be sticking with the same set of darts each week now, which is a big positive for his game. 

MVG has been flat for the last month, including at the UK Open where he suffered an early exit at the hands of Mervyn King. An unexpected defeat to Daryl Gurney in Berlin last week saw him knocked off the top of the table. In truth, he has yet to put in a good performance in the Premier League. This must be a worry for anyone backing him at odds-on in these games. He did perform well in the European Open at the weekend, picking up the £25K first prize and beating some Premier League rivals along the way. A clip worth watching is his unusual method of getting a 9-darter in his semi-final against Suljovic.

Wright also had a good run here, reaching the semi-finals.

The case for Wright winning is tempered by his failure to close out games, drawing four of his seven matches. MVG seems vulnerable though, so perhaps we should take a chance on Wright in the Draw No Bet market. 

Raymond van Barneveld v Daryl Gurney

Tip – Daryl Gurney to win 2.00Bet €100 to win €2001/1Bet £100 to win £200+100Bet $100 to win $2001.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$2001.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp2001.0000Bet RM100 to win RM200 

Gurney looked in trouble a few weeks ago after 1-7 and 0-7 hidings against Rob Cross and James Wade. He scraped an undeserved draw with Peter Wright in Nottingham (Week Six) so it came as quite a shock when he turned over MVG in Berlin last week. It’s difficult to know if this a false dawn or the start of an upturn in results for the capable Ulsterman.

Barney finally broke his 2019 Unibet Premier League duck with victory in Berlin. However, that win was against the overawed youngster Max Hopp, and Barney prevailed with a 90 average. Much bigger questions will be asked by Superchin. RVB has been generally poor with defeat in his first match at the UK Open dropping him outside the top 32 in the world rankings. Personal problems also seem to be an issue, as reported in the tabloids. He suffered another first-round defeat in the European Open. Gurney looks the call here.

2019 Unibet Premier League Darts Week Eight Tips

Gerwyn Price to beat Michael Smith 2.55Bet €100 to win €25531/20Bet £100 to win £255+155Bet $100 to win $2551.55Bet HK$100 to win HK$2551.55Bet Rp100 to win Rp255-0.6452Bet RM100 to win RM255 

James Wade to beat Dmitri Van den Bergh 2.20Bet €100 to win €2206/5Bet £100 to win £220+120Bet $100 to win $2201.20Bet HK$100 to win HK$2201.20Bet Rp100 to win Rp220-0.8333Bet RM100 to win RM220 

Peter Wright to beat Michael van Gerwen 4.50Bet €100 to win €4507/2Bet £100 to win £450+350Bet $100 to win $4503.50Bet HK$100 to win HK$4503.50Bet Rp100 to win Rp450-0.2857Bet RM100 to win RM450  (Draw No Bet market)

Mensur Suljovic to beat Rob Cross 3.10Bet €100 to win €31021/10Bet £100 to win £310+210Bet $100 to win $3102.10Bet HK$100 to win HK$3102.10Bet Rp100 to win Rp310-0.4762Bet RM100 to win RM310 

Daryl Gurney to beat Raymond van Barneveld 2.00Bet €100 to win €2001/1Bet £100 to win £200+100Bet $100 to win $2001.00Bet HK$100 to win HK$2001.00Bet Rp100 to win Rp2001.0000Bet RM100 to win RM200