Gary Anderson and Michael van Gerwen to win Premier League Darts matches, says Wayne Mardle
Sunday 28 February 2016 11:34, UK
Gary Anderson will finally get off the mark in this year's Premier League Darts season in front of his Scottish fans, says Wayne Mardle.
The season rolls onto Aberdeen on Thursday at 7pm on Sky Sports 1 HD and features an all-Scottish final match but all eyes will be on reigning champion Anderson who has lost both of his matches so far.
Read on to see who Mardle tips this week...
Adrian Lewis v James Wade
Is Wade ever in form or out of form? Sometimes he's not playing well, then he wins a major. Then he won't play well, then he beats Michael van Gerwen in the Premier League. I don't know if I ever fancy him to win or not!
I don't back against Lewis often unless he plays Phil Taylor, Gary Anderson or Van Gerwen. But bet against Wade with caution - he's the ultimate spoiler. He's won seven majors, all of them without being the favourite.
Prediction: Lewis, but on the premise that Wade plays like he has in the past two weeks. If he plays like he did against Van Gerwen, Lewis won't win. (Evens with Sky Bet)
Gary Anderson v Raymond van Barneveld
Anderson hasn't played badly but he won't he be concerned by being pointless after two weeks. If he's pointless after four weeks that's a different story. Because the others have played three each we're thinking 'Gary hasn't won yet' but he hasn't played his third match.
Anderson won a tournament at the weekend. I've said it before, they're confidence boosters but that's what he needed. Barney, like Wade is a spoiler.
Prediction: I can't see Anderson leaving the venue without two points. I expect Anderson to win and people to say 'he's on the march again'. (8/11 with Sky Bet)
Live Premier League Darts
Michael Smith v Michael van Gerwen
If Smith hadn't got anything out of Dave Chisnall last week, he would have then played Van Gerwen, then Phil Taylor, then Anderson. That's brutal, the Premier League can spoil your career. You can feel like you're not one of the best, even when you are.
I'm glad Smith is off the mark but he didn't play well against Chisnall. But if he plays to a similar standard against Van Gerwen, he could only win one or two legs. Not very often will I back against Van Gerwen, he's a win machine.
Prediction: If Van Gerwen drops three legs in this match, that will be a lot. (MVG -3.5 legs 5/6 with Sky Bet)
Phil Taylor v Dave Chisnall
Phil picks and chooses which Tour events he plays in, and he won one recently. Then he played well last week in the Premier League. I expect him to just carry on now with the odd blip. He's not the reliable player that he used to be, but he's still one of the very best.
I thought it was interesting last week that he was the favourite to beat the current world champion Anderson, that says a lot. It says a lot about how good Taylor still is.
The other guys are now thinking 'Phil looks confident' - he's walking around with a swagger again. He's only 5'6'' but he's a lot more intimidating than his height gives him!
Prediction: Phil did a job on Anderson last week and I think he beats Chisnall too. (4/6 with Sky Bet)
Peter Wright v Robert Thornton
You've got to have a Scotsman playing another one! The fans will favour Thornton because Wright has been taken in as an adopted Scotsman, just because he didn't really mention that he was born in Scotland until a few years ago.
Robert is a real crowd favourite in Scotland, they love him. He's the ultimate trier, isn't he? He's not a show pony. If it meant losing a limb to win a darts match (not his right arm, of course) he would because it means so much to him.
Prediction: All said and done, Thornton is the most out-of-form player in the top 16 of world darts. So can he win? No, not on your nellie. (Wright 1/2 with Sky Bet)
Watch Premier League Darts on Thursday at 7pm on Sky Sports 1 HD.
