5/4 – James Wade to beat Raymond van Barneveld
James Wade should just about have the edge over Raymond van Barneveld in a close one to call for the night’s opening match.
There is very little to choose between them, but the Englishman has been the better of the two at picking up results in tight games during the season so far.
Nowhere was this better demonstrated than in Nottingham on night six, when Wade prevailed 7-5 in a game that Barney should have got at least a draw from.
The Machine is four points clear of the Dutchman in the table and has not lost to him in this competition since 2013.
It is unlikely to be a classic, but Wade’s ability to pinch results in tight games should see him take both points here.
5/4 – Phil Taylor to beat Gary Anderson
Phil Taylor moved to the summit of the table for the first time last week, and looks the more likely to come out on top when he faces Gary Anderson in Sheffield.
With a sparkling average of 103 and check-out ratio of 49 per cent, The Power continues to prove that he belongs at the very pinnacle of the sport.
Anderson has also been excellent lately, but turned in a funny performance last week in drawing with Wade.
Despite some memorable victories along the way, Anderson has a poor record against Taylor – losing six of the last eight Premier League meetings between the pair including a 7-4 defeat in Dublin earlier this season.
Taylor has not lost since week one and does not look like being beaten any time soon.
1/5 – Michael van Gerwen to beat Robert Thornton
Robert Thornton enjoys a scrap with Michael van Gerwen, picking up a shock point in Liverpool two weeks ago which ultimately saw him stay in the competition beyond Judgement Night.
The Scot also famously beat the Dutchman in the World Grand Prix final last year, so will not be fazed by taking on the world No. 1 once again.
However, those results mask a much more one-sided head-to-head record with Mighty Mike winning 14 of the 21 meetings between the two.
Van Gerwen has been held to draws in his last three outings, and will be determined to reassert his authority in order to stay in touch at the top.
The Dutchman’s tournament average is an enormous 18 points higher than Thornton’s while his check-out ratio is 12 per cent higher.
The Thorn can tend to confound statistics sometimes, but expect MVG to come good this week.
7/2 – Adrian Lewis and Peter Wright to draw
With another very close match in prospect between Adrian Lewis and Peter Wright, a draw could well be the most likely outcome.
Lewis is having a great campaign with six wins from nine so far – only losing to the top three in the table in Taylor, Van Gerwen and Anderson.
He also beat Wright earlier in the tournament despite Snakebite averaging 106 in a performance that summed up the Scotsman’s season so far.
With both the third-highest average and check-out ratio in the tournament, it is only incredible performances by his opponents that see him currently sitting sixth in the table.
Having won nine of the last 12 between the pair it is tempting to side with Lewis, but Wright’s luck has to change at some point and he is more than capable of picking up a point this week.
4/6 – Phil Taylor to beat James Wade
Whatever happens in the respective matches earlier in the evening, it is hard not to see Taylor getting the better of Wade in the final match of the evening.
The Power is in much more impressive form and even the obdurate Wade is unlikely to be able to live with the three-figure average that his opponent will undoubtedly produce.
Their last meeting ended 7-1 to Taylor and, although that scoreline is unlikely to be repeated, the result should still be the same.
Tellingly, their last three Premier League meetings have an aggregate score of 21-7 to Taylor, and with the 14-time world champion playing so brilliantly at the moment it is fair to assume that advantage will be extended further on Thursday.
A £10 bet on the five-fold accumulator returns £441.60*.
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