Night 5 Premier League Darts Preview and Tips – JP
Night 5 Premier League Darts Preview
On Night 4 we had to make do with just the one winner. James Punt is looking to bounce back strongly, his Night 5 Premier League Darts tips are below.
Taking Shape
We are now a quarter way through the league phase and the table is beginning to take shape. World number one, Peter Wright, is on top of the table with 10 points and we have four players within three points of him. Only Joe Cullen, Gary Anderson and Michael Smith have become detached, seven or more points off the top spot. Night five comes from Brighton and we have some interesting quarter final ties.
Gary Anderson vs. Michael Smith
This bottom of the table clash is going to hurt one of them badly but gives the other a leg up and the chance to pick up more points in the semis and final round.
Their H2H record shows a 13-9 lead for Gary Anderson and more recently a 4-2 lead in their six matches since the start of 2020. Anderson likes playing Smith as he gets the pace of play he demands and no antics. They have played six previous premier league matches and Anderson won four. On past form, Anderson has been the more successful.
This match comes just four days after Smith lost another major PDC title. That was his second chance in 2020 to get the monkey off his back but he lost the final of the World Championship and now the final of the UK Open. He may never have such a good chance again. He lost to a player who could only average 84. Eighty four, in a major final, and Noppert won it in the deciding leg. You could see it coming, even though Noppert was playing poorly, you could see Smith slowly unravelling as soon as he realised that this was his to lose.
How Will Smith React?
Smith’s form took a dive after losing the World Championship final and it would be a surprise if he will be bouncing up and down, raring to go when he returns to action tonight. On one hand, you can say that Smith has done really well to reach two major finals in the space of ten weeks or so. Or you can say that more scar tissue is the last thing Smith needs.
Gary Anderson is in poor form, losing seven of his last ten matches. He is scoring well, his 2022 average is 97.4, but he can’t win. His three wins came against Luc Peters, Jose Justicia and an out of form Jose de Sousa, so his wins have been cheap.
This looks to be about how Smith performs after another traumatic loss and whether Anderson can convert good scoring into a win. The market has Smith as the favourite, and he has won seven of his last ten while Anderson has lost seven. Under normal circumstances I would accept Smith being the 1.62 favourite but after Sunday’s meltdown?
Night 5 Premier League Darts Tip: 1 point Gary Anderson to win @ 2.50 generally available
Peter Wright vs. Jonny Clayton
Another fascinating match. Peter Wright was promoted to World number 1 status at the weekend, just as his gallstone problem resurfaced. It is hard to say how this will affect his form in the short term but the last time he was suffering, he had to change his diet and lose weight. That cured the gallstones, but it affected his form negatively as he wasn’t used to being lighter.
Wright was knocked out of the UK Open at the last 16 stage, beaten 10-7 by William O’Connor, but he still averaged 100.5. He beat Whitlock in the preceding round 10-5 and averaged 102. There doesn’t seem to be any sign that his gallstones are affecting this form, yet. However, his form still contains some poor performances, such as last week’s final when he lost 0-6 to MVG and averaged just 87. On the same night he had beaten Price 6-2 and Wade 6-2, averaging over 100 in both.
Ferret Not On Top Form
Jonny Clayton is not in good form, and it is not often you can say that. He has lost five of his last ten matches and his scoring has taken a dip. He is not hopelessly out of form but he’s only at about 85% of his potential.
The H2H record shows a 12-4 lead to Wright and in 2022 it is 3-0. He won those three matches easily with cumulative leg score of 19-4. There is some risk around backing a not fully fit Wright but their recent form and H2H record says that Wright wins this.
Night 5 Premier League Darts Tip: 1 point Peter Wright to win @ 1.73 generally available
Night 5 Premier League Darts Tip: 1 point Peter Wright to win -2.5 legs @ 3.25 with BET365
Michael van Gerwen vs. James Wade
A week ago, it all looked so good for MVG. He beat Clayton, Smith and Wright to win Night 4 and moved into second place in the table. It was then off to Minehead to win the UK Open. It didn’t work out that way and he struggled to beat Gary Anderson in the fourth round before he was beaten 10-4 by Damon Heta. Another false dawn.
James Wade has played MVG 61 times and lost 43. In their last ten, Wade has lost nine. His recent form is the same as Van Gerwen’s, winning six of his last ten matches. He is scoring well and is a dangerous opponent, if not entirely consistent.
MVG Confidence Issues
Van Gerwen is still struggling with his confidence. That heavy defeat to Heta will have hurt. He averaged 101 and was beaten easily. At least he can look at the PL table and see himself near the top, where he believes he should be. Maybe it is the Premier League that will end his win drought.
Van Gerwen is the 1.40 favourite, Wade 3.00. The money is going on Wade ahead of the match and MVG is too short to back. However, the H2H form does suggest that he will win this. Wade is still one of the players who fears facing MVG. No bet.
Night 5 Premier League Darts Tip: No Bet
Joe Cullen vs. Gerwyn Price
Gerwyn Price was dethroned from the number 1 spot in the rankings at the weekend, but he remains the best player. He had to cope with a very hostile crowd at Minehead, which was unusual for a UK Open crowd, but it is par for the course in the Premier League. The boo boys and the wolf whistlers will have been emboldened by Price wilting under the barracking he got when losing the quarter final to Michael Smith on Sunday.
Price has won eight of his last ten matches and is fourth in the table but sometimes he just doesn’t cope with the abuse that he gets. The PDC will not do anything about it, so it is up to him to find a way to block it out or use it as a motivation.
Cullen Edges H2H
Joe Cullen has a winning H2H record over Price, albeit a small one, 9-8. They have met twice already in 2022 and Cullen won both, but that was when he was flying. His form has turned in recent weeks. Since he won back-to-back players championship titles a month ago, Cullen has played five and lost four and averaged 92.3 across the four. That’s an OK average but against Price? Unlikely to be enough.
Price is in better recent form, hurting from losing his number 1 status and keen to get it back. The PL does not affect the rankings but Price will want to make a statement and against an out of sorts Cullen, he should be able to do so if the crowd doesn’t get to him again.
Price is the 1.48 favourite, and he should be able to extend Cullen’s losing run.
