Premier League Darts Playoffs Night Preview – JP
Premier League Darts Playoffs Night Preview
The final instalment of James Punt’s PL Darts previews and it is safe to say, he is glad it is over! Check out his Premier League Darts Playoffs night tips below.
Premier League Darts Playoffs
And finally, it ends. The longest ever Premier League will be decided at the Mercedes-Benz Arena in Berlin this evening.
The final four players are Jonny Clayton, Michael van Gerwen, James Wade and Joe Cullen. This evening format is two best of nineteen legs semi-finals and the best of 21 leg final.
Defending champion, league stage winner and our 6.00 ante post selection, Jonny Clayton will face the fourth ranked finalist, newcomer Joe Cullen. The second semi-final sees MVG take on James Wade.
There is plenty of recent H2H form to draw upon, but it must be said that none of tonight’s contenders are in top form, which doesn’t make picking the winner any easier.
Jonny Clayton vs. Joe Cullen
This is a repeat of the very first match of this year’s league, and Jonny Clayton won 6-2. They also played on the last night of the league phase, and again Clayton won that 6-4. They met a total of six times in the league, with Clayton winning four. Overall, their H2H record is 9-6 to Cullen.
In terms of recent form, Clayton has won six of his last ten matches. He is playing well enough but he hasn’t been at the top of his game. He wasn’t involved in the weekend’s World Series event and has had some time off to recharge his batteries.
The same can be said for Cullen, who has had two weeks off after losing his opening match at the Dutch Darts Championship. He last lost six of his last ten matches and he has not been in great form, generally averaging in the low 90’s.
Cullen is trying ‘to do a Clayton’ by winning the Masters, being the last qualifier for the PL, and then going on to win it in his debut season. Will history repeat itself, or will Clayton make it back-to-back Premier League finals?
Ferret Deservedly Fav
The Ferret is the 1.44 favourite and given their H2H form in this competition and their respective recent form, he deserves to be. His game is better in just about every department with the exception of hitting 180s. Cullen made the final despite having the lowest average and lowest checkout % of any of the eight players in the competition. He was also massively helped by getting two byes during the league phase, gifting him four points. Without those, Clayton would be facing Peter Wright.
Clayton is our ante-post selection to win the title and there is no need to be getting involved in this game. I have a feeling that whoever wins this, will win the title.
Premier League Darts Playoffs Tip: No Bet
Michael van Gerwen vs. James Wade
These two met at the weekend in the Nordic Darts Masters in Copenhagen. It was Wade who won the dress rehearsal 10-4. They have met five times in this year’s PL, with MVG winning three. Their overall H2H record is 48-20 to Van Gerwen. He has won six of their nine matches in 2022.
Wade was the rank outsider in the ante post betting (29.00) and this will be his sixth premier league semi-final of which he has won three, the last back in 2010. His recent form has seen him win six of his last ten matches, but the real story is that he has only played seven matches in the last month, and three of those were at the weekend in Copenhagen.
Wade was taken ill shortly before he was due to play a Euro Tour semi-final and spent a few days in hospital as a result. Since he returned to action, he is averaging 89.0, below even his modest seasonal average of 94.1.
Medical Issues
Michael van Gerwen has his own medical issues, and he will be undergoing wrist surgery tomorrow. The fact that he requires surgery suggests that he is not 100% physically and his form is not great with five wins from his last ten matches. He still lacks confidence and his performance on the doubles has been woeful at times recently. Gone is that ability to hit the big darts at the right time, replaced by a nervousness which is costing him matches he really should be winning.
Picking the winner is tricky. Both players have massive question marks over their form, and both are well short of their best. MVG is the 1.50 favourite, impossible to back given that drubbing he received at the weekend. Wade wasn’t even playing well.
Their three most recent best of 19 leg matches have ended 10-4, and six of their nine best of 19 leg matches have seen less than 16 legs.
