Week 12

Published at: http://www.overtimeonline.co.uk/?p=16271

This week’s fixtures (player on the left will throw first):

• Robert Thornton v Peter Wright
• Gary Anderson v Phil Taylor
• Raymond van Barneveld v Adrian Lewis
• Michael van Gerwen v Dave Chisnall
• Gary Anderson v Robert Thornton

The sacking of David Moyes may be the talk of Manchester this week but on Thursday night the Premier League darts comes to town as the race for a play-off spot continues at the Phones 4u Arena. Phil Taylor is again involved in the game of the night and will be supremely confident after an excellent victory at the German Darts Masters on Monday evening.

He overcame Michael van Gerwen 6-4 in the final with an average of 107 to claim the £20,000 prize. Just four days earlier, Taylor had defeated van Gerwen 7-4 in the Premier League and he repeated the feat in Berlin to earn his third tour title of 2014. This week he faces the in-form Gary Anderson, who plays twice along with Robert Thornton.

In Aberdeen there were wins for Raymond van Barneveld and Dave Chisnall. Barney battered Thornton 7-1 and Chisnall caused an upset, beating Peter Wright 7-4, and condemning the Scotsman to his third loss on the bounce. Wright will be hoping to get back to winning ways in Manchester after suffering a dramatic turn in form.

Elsewhere Adrian Lewis comes up against Raymond van Barneveld knowing that only a win will do after a disastrous night in Aberdeen. The UK Open champion lost both of his games against Gary Anderson and Michael van Gerwen, and now has a slim chance on making the play-off places.

Robert Thornton v Peter Wright

Thornton barely put up a fight last week and could only win one leg in his heavy loss to Raymond van Barneveld. He’s paid the price for inconsistency and is at the bottom of the league after only winning once all season. The Thorn has hit averages ranging from a high 105 all the way down to 83. He doubles up this week and his first game is against a fellow Scot who is desperate for two points.

Peter Wright knows that time is running out until the play-offs in May and if he doesn’t retain his early form then he may miss out on a top four place. After a incredible start to his debut Premier League it looked impossible that Wright wouldn’t make the play-offs but recent losses mean that Snakebite needs a win. He has the ability to bounce back and should punish any of Thornton’s mistakes.

Gary Anderson v Phil Taylor

In terms of his play-off aspirations, Thursday night could be make or break for Gary Anderson. His first game is against 16-time World Champion Phil Taylor. Against Lewis in Aberdeen, Anderson raced to a 6-0 lead and despite conceding the next four legs, The Flying Scotsman closed out the game 7-4.

Phil Taylor is now unbeaten in his last six outings, with his last loss coming against Gary Anderson in March. Anderson has won their last two meetings but The Power dominates the head-to-head record, winning 24 of their 34 matches. Taylor will be on a high after his German Masters victory but both men are throwing fantastic arrows and a draw could be on the cards here.

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Raymond van Barneveld v Adrian Lewis

Two former World Champions face off in the third game of night in Manchester. van Barneveld briefly assumed top spot last week and has been in magnificent form so far in the Premier League. Barney has only lost once and is four points ahead of Peter Wright in third. He hasn’t necessarily been setting the world alight with his darts but always manages to ground out results.

At the other end of the table is Adrian Lewis. Although he reached the last four in Germany he wasn’t playing that well and was well beaten by MVG in the semis, losing 6-3. After losing three successive league games, Jackpot has slumped down to seventh position. He faces a struggle to make the top four and really needs a win against Barney.

Michael van Gerwen v Dave Chisnall

Despite losing his opening game in Aberdeen, van Gerwen regrouped and brushed Adrian Lewis aside during his 7-4 victory. He then played really well at the weekend but Phil Taylor never looked like losing and was too good for everybody. The young Dutchman will be eager to return to the Premier League with a big win and he might just do that to remain top of the league.

Most expected Dave Chisnall to lose last week but he saved his season after beating Peter Wright 7-4. An inspired performance saw him hit a 103.5 average and he now hasn’t lost in four weeks. When he faces van Gerwen, Chizzy enjoys the fast pace and flow of the darts but it’s hard to imagine MVG dropping points.

Gary Anderson v Robert Thornton

This will be both players’ second game of the night but it may prove to be more important for Gary Anderson. Should he lose against Phil Taylor, Anderson will need a win to recover ground on Taylor and remain within touching distance of a play-off spot. Like many of the double-headers, it may depend on earlier results but Anderson is more consistent than his fellow Scot and should claim the win in the final game at the Phones 4u Arena.