James Wade to beat Kim Huybrechts –
Neither of the players who kick us off in the opening match come into the tournament in the best of form, having both lost in the first round of the recent Masters.
Wade does, however, boasts much more Premier League experience, with this his ninth campaign compared to Huybrechts’ second.
The Englishman has also won nine of his last 10 matches against the Belgian, dating back to June 2014.
He ought to prevail in what is likely to be a scrappy affair.
Raymond van Barneveld to beat Adrian Lewis –
With both players evenly priced for the win, the second game of the evening is by far the hardest to call.
Lewis made the semis at the Masters with a tournament average of 103.45, but has traditionally struggled to get the better of Barney in the Premier League, winning just five of their 18 matches.
The Dutchman has also won six of the last seven meetings between the pair, including their last-16 showdown at the World Championship in December, which once again proved his ability to raise his game at the biggest events.
Phil Taylor to beat Dave Chisnall –
Playing in his final season as a full-time pro, Phil Taylor – who has only once failed to make the final four in 17 seasons to date – will not be taking this Premier League lightly.
The Power came within two legs of making the Masters final at the weekend before Gary Anderson’s comeback, but is unlikely to have any profligacy punished quite so severely by Dave Chisnall.
Chizzy has lost his last three meetings against the six-time champion, so may have to wait a while longer before he can start making up for last season’s Judgement Night elimination.
Michael van Gerwen to beat Gary Anderson –
The game of the night sees a repeat of the recent record-breaking World Championship final between the top two in the rankings.
MVG blew Anderson away on that occasion at Alexandra Palace, and did similar to the Scotsman at last weekend’s Masters final, throwing 11-dart legs and seven 180s on his way to averaging 103.58.
The timing of this fixture, then, is far from ideal for Anderson, who has only won two of his last 10 meetings with the world No. 1.
Peter Wright to beat Jelle Klaasen –
Being comfortably beaten by Mensur Suljovic in the first round of the Masters was hardly ideal preparation for Jelle Klaasen ahead of his first Premier League appearance since 2009.
Particularly considering that he has lost his last six in a row against Peter Wright, his opponent in Newcastle.
Snakebite hit the ground running last season with three wins in his first three matches, and the third-favourite for the tournament should be confident of getting off to another flyer this time around.
