Raymond van Barneveld will defeat Phil Taylor again, says Wayne Mardle

Wayne Mardle believes Raymond van Barneveld will continue his thrilling form by beating Phil Taylor in Sheffield.

With Judgement Day out of the way, the Premier League continues with Van Barneveld and Taylor the star attraction on Thursday, live on Sky Sports 1 at 7pm so Mardle has been analysing the matches.

Phil Taylor v Raymond van Barneveld

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Mardle says: I think Phil will average 115 and get beaten again – actually that’s a joke, I don’t really! He’ll want to put the record straight. But Barney is the clever bet here, he’s playing fantastically. Anderson averaged 108 and couldn’t beat Barney because his timing is very good.

Did Barney dodge a bullet at Judgement Night? Yes, maybe a little rubber pellet but the next bullet could end his hopes. 

If he thinks for five minutes on the aeroplane trip that Taylor averaged 115 and still couldn’t win then he’ll realise everything he did was perfect. 

Prediction: Barney will beat him again. He knows he can beat Phil if he plays well.

Live Premier League Darts

Michael van Gerwen v Stephen Bunting

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Mardle says: For Michael to lose, there has to be a shift where he plays badly and his opponent plays to their maximum. He’s won his last 11 last-leg shoot-outs which proves he holds it together better than anyone else.

Bunting’s form is almost irrelevant because of what Michael is doing at the moment. He’s very greedy, Van Gerwen could be here for the next 20 years. The next five years of success are sewn up for him.

Prediction: Whether Bunting plays well or not, Van Gerwen will win if he plays his to his usual standard.

Adrian Lewis v James Wade

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Mardle says: Lewis will feel refreshed after Judgement Night. He’ll realise he’s got over the first hurdle when, at times, it wasn’t looking likely. Whoever Lewis beats is likely to be above him so it can be a telling blow. 

Wade is so solid but Lewis beat him 6-0 at the weekend in Munich. They’ll both say that doesn’t matter but it does. If you beat your mate at squash on Tuesday then play again next Tuesday, do you mention the previous match? Of course you do!

Prediction: I think Lewis will beat Wade for a second time this week.

If you beat your mate at squash on Tuesday then play again next Tuesday, do you mention the previous match? Of course you do!

Gary Anderson v Dave Chisnall

Mardle says: Anderson is so tough to beat. Barney had a chance to beat him last week but Gary held himself together and got a point. That’s what Gary does, which will worry everyone else. But Chizzy has turned into that kind of a player as well because they’ve both been so tough to beat this Premier League season.

This is a tough one to call. Did I expect Chizzy to upset Taylor? No, but he’s now a force to be reckoned with. If you underestimate him you’ll come a cropper.

Prediction: I wouldn’t even bet your money on this one, let alone my money!

Dave Chisnall v James Wade

Mardle says: I guarantee they won’t have the zest of the previous game they will have played. Mentally, you can’t switch off all night and that’s terrible. This is hard to predict because we don’t know what they’ll do in their first matches.

Prediction: I always go for the consistent player when I think the flair player might not have his va-va voom, so Wade will win.

Watch Premier League Darts on Thursday at 7pm on Sky Sports 1.