PDC Premier League Darts: Week 10 Betting and Odds Preview

premier leagueWith the first elimination having been carried out, the battle to make it through to playoff night in this season’s Premier League is firmly on. Only four can make it through to the semis and while eight names remain in the hat, everyone is very much in contention.

Week nine in Belfast produced two draws and a dramatic comeback for Michael Van Gerwen so what can we expect as the throwers pack up their arrows and head for the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool this week?

Outright Update

Michael Van Gerwen was some way from his best when snatching that 7-7 draw with Gerwyn Price last week but the Dutchman remains at the top of the outright betting markets. You can still pick up MVG as an odds on option right across the board and he’s at 6/11 right now with SportingBet.

rob cross
Rob Cross

The biggest mover is Rob Cross who has been in more consistent form in this Premier League season. Voltage now has a clear lead at the top of the table following his 8-4 win over Daryl Gurney in Belfast last time out and Cross can now be claimed at 4/1 with Coral and 10Bet.

In joint third place is James Wade who, despite going down 8-6 to Mensur Suljovic last week, stays in touch with the market leaders at best odds of 14/1 with Ladbrokes and Royal Panda. Mensur now shares that third favourites berth at the same 14/1 with William Hill and BetFred and then we have a small gap to Gerwyn Price at 16/1 with William Hill again.

Elsewhere, Daryl Gurney can be picked up at a top price of 20/1 with Coral and SportingBet while Peter Wright is out at 25/1 with BetFred. Bringing up the rear is Michael Smith, last year’s runner up, who can be claimed at 28/1 with William Hill.

At this stage of the campaign it’s all about making it into the top four and working on the basis that anything can happen on finals night. With just three points separating fourth placed James Wade and bottom of the table Michael Smith, anything is possible so let’s keep that in mind while assessing week ten’s matches.

First Up to the Oche

Our first game of the night in Liverpool sees Rob Cross take on Peter Wright. Form is very much on the side of Cross in this one and the 2018 PDC World Champion is available at 4/5 with 10Bet and Bethard. A victory for Peter Wright can be picked up at best odds of 5/2 with Unibet and SportingBet while the draw completes this one at a top price of 50/13 with SportPesa.

Middle Section

Mensur Suljovic
Mensur Suljovic

At phase two of the competition we have just four games in store and following on we have Gerwyn Price up against Mensur Suljovic. Form suggests this could be the closest game of the night and there are odds against prices on all three possible outcomes. Price starts as the favourite at a best of 23/17 with SportPesa while a win for Suljovic is at 8/5. It’s back to SportPesa again for the best numbers on the draw at 39/11.

James Wade against Daryl Gurney should also be close as both men are locked on 11 points in fourth and fifth place respectively. Wade leads the way in this one at best odds of 6/5 with RedZoneSports while Gurney is close behind at a top price of 17/10 with SportPesa. This time, Betway are quoting the best figures on the draw at 7/2.

Closing Out

We finish off with a repeat of last year’s Premier League final. Michael Van Gerwen is setting his sights on a return to the top of the table while for Michael Smith, it’s a case of battling to come away from the foot of the league. MVG starts as favourite at short best odds of 3/8 with SportPesa. Victory for Smith is at 5/1 with Betway while the same bookmaker has the best figures on the draw at 11/2.

Those are your Thursday night games so let’s see if we can pick out some winners.

Verdict

Michael van Gerwen
Michael van Gerwen

We’ve seen throughout this tournament that Michael Van Gerwen isn’t infallible. Perhaps he’s coasting into the playoffs with a view to raising his game once he gets to finals night. In contrast, Michael Smith is fighting for survival at the wrong end of the table and those contrasting needs could well lead to some value on Smith at that 5/1 price.

The other games are much closer in terms of their odds so we can still get some value for the right calls. James Wade is just starting to dip in form and with Daryl Gurney looking to break into the top four, Gurney is a good option at a nice 17/10 price. For our final tip of the night, the unpredictable nature of this year’s competition means that we’re looking to Peter Wright to lift his form and take the spoils against Rob Cross. Wright’s generous odds of 5/2 will therefore hopefully add to a profitable night on the Liverpool oche.

Best Bets: