Who Will Have the Last Laugh on Judgement Night?
We have seen some incredible darts in the first eight weeks of this years Premier League and up until this point it has all been for one reason, to avoid being dumped out at the first hurdle as two players will eliminated on Thursday. Judgement night is upon us and there are five of the world's best players involved in a relegation scrap, it will take self-confidence, immense bottle and a bit of luck for results to go in their favour to survive, but all I know is that its going to be great entertainment for the Manchester crowd and the viewers at home. Below I have put together a match-by-match preview and outlined what the players in danger need to achieve in order for them to remain in the League.
Michael van Gerwen vs. James Wade
The opening match of the night may not have any impact on who gets relegated, but it is a mouth watering prospect with two of the most consistent players this year going head-to-head in what is sure to be a game full of big checkouts. I believe that Wade is the best player in the word at finishing with anything between 100 and 130, but on the other hand MVG is the best at anything 131+, it could take one of Might Mike's magical finishes to continue his remarkable run.
Van Gerwen's 7-2 victory against fellow Dutchman Raymond van Barneveld with 109 average was impressive and he still remains unbeaten in this years edition of the Premier League. The short format suits him perfectly with the World Number 1 liable to switch off and lose concentration during longer games, but you can always guarantee he will come flying out of the blocks.
Wade has had a good campaign himself with 3 wins, 3 draws and only 2 losses. He is fresh off the back of a 7-3 win against Peter Wright last week despite just a 92 average and 25% checkout rate, but he has showed better form than that by winning a Pro Tour event recently after finishing runner-up in an event the day before, pocketing a cool £15,000 in just two days.
For 'The Machine' to get a result he will need to slow van Gerwen down and not allow him to get into a rhythm, because once he does, we all know what he can do. I think that van Gerwen's scoring power will prove too much for Wade but I'm sure he will give it a good shot.
Prediction: Michael van Gerwen 7-4 James Wade
Phil Taylor vs. Dave Chisnall
On a night where most eyes will be fixed elsewhere, this match could be key in determining the players who qualify for Finals Night in a few weeks time. Taylor is in 5th place level on points with Wade and just two points behind Chisnall in 3rd.
'Chizzy' is the surprise package of this years Premier League winning five matches, drawing one and losing just two and has hit 27 180s in the process. Before the start of the Premier LEague, bookmakers made the St Helen's man favourite to be eliminated at this stage, but he has silenced those doubters with some brave performances where he has had to dig deep in order to get a result, most notably in week 2 where he grinded out a 7-5 win against van Barneveld despite a 91 average on a night where nothing was happening for him. This attitude alongside his high scoring could give him a chance in this match, although he will need to be at his best to keep up with the 16-time World Champion Phil Taylor.
'The Power' has played better than his position suggests and has found himself unlucky not to win some weeks, especially against 'Barney' two weeks ago when he averaged 115 and somehow lost the match. He has averaged over 100 in 15 out of his last 17 televised matches and I wouldn't back against him doing it again. A 104 average in a 7-4 victory against Kim Huybrechts last week showed that Taylor shows no signs of slowing down and I expect him to continue that form on for the foreseeable future.
This should be a entertaining fixture that will produce high scoring, but they key will be who can hit those doubles with only one dart in hand. That is where I think this match will be won or lost and experience should prevail.
Prediction: Phil Taylor 7-4 Dave Chisnall
Stephen Bunting vs. Kim Huybrechts
Now onto the first match of the relegation battle. A lot of people predicted Huybrechts to be eliminated at this stage but I doubt many of them thought he would have played so well and still be struggling. He has been very unlucky throughout and should have more points to show for his efforts including a 7-5 deat to Dave Chisnall despite an average of 107. On another day he would have taken the points rather comfortably, but that is what the Premier League is all about, one mistake, one missed double and it could cost you the match and turn a likely win into a heartbreaking defeat.
Bunting has had an up-and-down debut, he started poorly and found himself bottom of the table with just 1 point after four weeks, but a victory against Adrian Lewis the following week gave him the boost he needed as he went on to win against Chisnall and managed a draw against Peter Wright. These results have put him in a good position and he should be safe come the end of Judgement night.
Huybrechts needs a darting miracle to extend his stay in the Premier League as Bunting only needs to win two legs to guarantee his place and even if 'The Hurricane' does, he still needs van Barnevled and Lewis to lose and win by enough legs to better them on leg difference. Even though his days are numbered, the Hurricane has justified his wildcard selection and has been a joy to watch for the past eight weeks.
Prediction: Stephen Bunting 6-6 Kim Huybrechts
Adrian Lewis vs. Peter Wright
All Wright needs is a win or a draw against Lewis, sounds simple but I don't think it will be as straight forward as that. He is up against, who I think is the most naturally gifted player in the world right now, when he is focused he can beat anyone and with him knowing that anything short of a win means elimination, you can assure every ounce of concentration and effort will be put into this match.
Peter Wright has been the draw specialist of this years Premier League sharing the spoils on four occasions but last week saw him producing his worst performance so far, losing 7-3 to Wade and averaging just 87. He will need a big improvement on that to challenge the two time World Champion.
Lewis has been disappointing after such a promising start winning 7-2 against Barney with an average of 113 in the first week, experts were tipping him to return to his best and go all the way this year but it hasn't went to plan for the former World Champion, three draws and four defeats later he finds himself in a position that his undoubted talent shouldn't allow him to be in, but the reality is that he needs to win and a draw will only save him if van Barneveld loses to Gary Anderson, but Jackpot will not want his place being in the hands of anyone else other than himself.
Prediction: Adrian Lewis 7-3 Peter Wright
Gary Anderson vs. Raymond van Barneveld
If we make it to this match not knowing who the relegated pair are then we are in for a treat. Current World Champion Anderson will not lie down and give his struggling opponent an easy route to safety, he will be battling to get more points on the board to cement his place in the top 4. His match last week against Bunting was fairly straight forward as he won 7-4 with a 96 average and 33% checkout rate and looked every bit like a World Champion.
Van Barneveld is safe if Kim Huybrechts fails to beat Stephen Bunting and he betters Adrian Lewis' result against Peter Wright. I have predicted a Lewis win, if that's the case then the Dutchman will need to come out on top here, not so straight forward considering his patchy form lately. He has averaged 104 for two weeks running now but the previous week he averaged just 88 in a defeat to Wade.
This is a hard one due to the circumstances and we could be in for one of the best matches of the year, but on current form I think the World Champion Gary Anderson has too much in hand over an inconsistent van Barneveld.
Prediction: Gary Anderson 7-5 Raymond van Barneveld
Bottom Two Prediction: Kim Huybrechts and Raymond van Barneveld
Phil Taylor vs. Dave Chisnall
On a night where most eyes will be fixed elsewhere, this match could be key in determining the players who qualify for Finals Night in a few weeks time. Taylor is in 5th place level on points with Wade and just two points behind Chisnall in 3rd.
'Chizzy' is the surprise package of this years Premier League winning five matches, drawing one and losing just two and has hit 27 180s in the process. Before the start of the Premier LEague, bookmakers made the St Helen's man favourite to be eliminated at this stage, but he has silenced those doubters with some brave performances where he has had to dig deep in order to get a result, most notably in week 2 where he grinded out a 7-5 win against van Barneveld despite a 91 average on a night where nothing was happening for him. This attitude alongside his high scoring could give him a chance in this match, although he will need to be at his best to keep up with the 16-time World Champion Phil Taylor.
'The Power' has played better than his position suggests and has found himself unlucky not to win some weeks, especially against 'Barney' two weeks ago when he averaged 115 and somehow lost the match. He has averaged over 100 in 15 out of his last 17 televised matches and I wouldn't back against him doing it again. A 104 average in a 7-4 victory against Kim Huybrechts last week showed that Taylor shows no signs of slowing down and I expect him to continue that form on for the foreseeable future.
This should be a entertaining fixture that will produce high scoring, but they key will be who can hit those doubles with only one dart in hand. That is where I think this match will be won or lost and experience should prevail.
Prediction: Phil Taylor 7-4 Dave Chisnall
Stephen Bunting vs. Kim Huybrechts
Now onto the first match of the relegation battle. A lot of people predicted Huybrechts to be eliminated at this stage but I doubt many of them thought he would have played so well and still be struggling. He has been very unlucky throughout and should have more points to show for his efforts including a 7-5 deat to Dave Chisnall despite an average of 107. On another day he would have taken the points rather comfortably, but that is what the Premier League is all about, one mistake, one missed double and it could cost you the match and turn a likely win into a heartbreaking defeat.
Bunting has had an up-and-down debut, he started poorly and found himself bottom of the table with just 1 point after four weeks, but a victory against Adrian Lewis the following week gave him the boost he needed as he went on to win against Chisnall and managed a draw against Peter Wright. These results have put him in a good position and he should be safe come the end of Judgement night.
Huybrechts needs a darting miracle to extend his stay in the Premier League as Bunting only needs to win two legs to guarantee his place and even if 'The Hurricane' does, he still needs van Barnevled and Lewis to lose and win by enough legs to better them on leg difference. Even though his days are numbered, the Hurricane has justified his wildcard selection and has been a joy to watch for the past eight weeks.
Prediction: Stephen Bunting 6-6 Kim Huybrechts
Adrian Lewis vs. Peter Wright
All Wright needs is a win or a draw against Lewis, sounds simple but I don't think it will be as straight forward as that. He is up against, who I think is the most naturally gifted player in the world right now, when he is focused he can beat anyone and with him knowing that anything short of a win means elimination, you can assure every ounce of concentration and effort will be put into this match.
Peter Wright has been the draw specialist of this years Premier League sharing the spoils on four occasions but last week saw him producing his worst performance so far, losing 7-3 to Wade and averaging just 87. He will need a big improvement on that to challenge the two time World Champion.
Lewis has been disappointing after such a promising start winning 7-2 against Barney with an average of 113 in the first week, experts were tipping him to return to his best and go all the way this year but it hasn't went to plan for the former World Champion, three draws and four defeats later he finds himself in a position that his undoubted talent shouldn't allow him to be in, but the reality is that he needs to win and a draw will only save him if van Barneveld loses to Gary Anderson, but Jackpot will not want his place being in the hands of anyone else other than himself.
Prediction: Adrian Lewis 7-3 Peter Wright
Gary Anderson vs. Raymond van Barneveld
If we make it to this match not knowing who the relegated pair are then we are in for a treat. Current World Champion Anderson will not lie down and give his struggling opponent an easy route to safety, he will be battling to get more points on the board to cement his place in the top 4. His match last week against Bunting was fairly straight forward as he won 7-4 with a 96 average and 33% checkout rate and looked every bit like a World Champion.
Van Barneveld is safe if Kim Huybrechts fails to beat Stephen Bunting and he betters Adrian Lewis' result against Peter Wright. I have predicted a Lewis win, if that's the case then the Dutchman will need to come out on top here, not so straight forward considering his patchy form lately. He has averaged 104 for two weeks running now but the previous week he averaged just 88 in a defeat to Wade.
This is a hard one due to the circumstances and we could be in for one of the best matches of the year, but on current form I think the World Champion Gary Anderson has too much in hand over an inconsistent van Barneveld.
Prediction: Gary Anderson 7-5 Raymond van Barneveld
Bottom Two Prediction: Kim Huybrechts and Raymond van Barneveld
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