Week 12 of the Premier League takes us to the SSE Arena in Belfast on Thursday night and Raymond van Barneveld is fancied to celebrate a special birthday against leader Michael van Gerwen to cut the gap to one point.
Van Barneveld marks his 50th birthday on Thursday with an all-Dutch clash against world number one van Gerwen as both men look to get back to winning ways following last week’s loss and draw to Adrian Lewis and Peter Wright respectively.
Phil Taylor visits the oche twice as he looks to make a charge for the play-offs while Lewis has hit form at just the right time in his bid for a top-four finish.
Here are our Premier League darts betting tips for the five matches in Week 12. If you’re feeling lucky, stick them all in an accumulator and a £1 bet will return over £916 if they all come in.
Adrian Lewis to beat Dave Chisnall, complete the highest checkout and hit the most 180s @ 19/4
Lewis has been on top form in the Premier League in recent weeks with five wins in his last six matches, including an impressive 7-4 success over Van Barneveld. The victory was not the highlight of the match either for ‘Jackpot’ as he produced a stunning nine-dart finish to the delight of the Liverpool crowd. Although that is unlikely to happen again (for those interested, it is 10/1 for one in this match), you can not rule out Lewis from hitting the match treble against bottom-ranked Chisnall, with the number of 180s hit being the only real doubt.
Phil Taylor and Gary Anderson to draw @ 7/2
Taylor has been hit-and-miss in this season’s competition and sits in fifth place, just outside of the play-off positions. ‘The Power’ was leading 5-2 against James Wade in Liverpool last week before losing the last five legs to fall to a 7-5 defeat. Anderson utilised his double match-up last week to come away with three points, which included an impressive 7-2 over Wright, but with both men being inconsistent, it is hard to predict who will come out on top so the draw looks likely.
James Wade to beat Peter Wright @ 51/20
Wade stormed back to defeat Taylor last week and restore his faint hopes of finishing in the play-offs while he has form to back up his claim to secure back-to-back wins. Wright crumbled to a heavy loss to Anderson in Week 11 before falling to 6-3 defeat to Wade in a European Tour clash in Germany on Monday so Wade just edges it despite Wright winning their four previous encounters.
Raymond van Barneveld to beat Michael van Gerwen @ 15/4
In arguably the match of the night, Van Barneveld takes on Van Gerwen with both men needing victory for differing reasons. Victory for the birthday boy will cement his place in the top four while a win for the ‘Green Machine’ could extend his lead at the top of the table. ‘Barney’ has inflicted Van Gerwen’s only defeat in this season’s Premier League and can rely on previous big match performances with success over Anderson and a draw with Wright in previous rounds to take five points from the world’s top three players. You cannot write off MVG but it is written in the stars for Van Barneveld to celebrate his special birthday with two points.
Phil Taylor +1,5 on 180s handicap @ 11/10
Taylor has won the last two clashes with ‘Chizzy’ in the 12-leg format with ‘The Power’ also triumphing in his last five head-to-heads with the 36-year-old. The price for Taylor to win looked too short but if Chisnall has an off night with the arrows, the +1,5 handicap on 180s hit could be a good market for the 16-time world champion. This means that even if Taylor throws one less maximum compared to Chisnall, the bet will come in.
