2017 Premier League Darts: Week 8 Preview & Betting Tips

We’re on to week 8 of the Darts Premier League and just two weeks from “Judgement Night” where the bottom two players will be relegated from the league. One who won’t have that problem is Raymond van Barneveld who put in a performance for the ages last week in front of his home fans with a demolition job of Gary Anderson. Besides RVB, there were some rather ordinary performances, with Michael van Gerwen particularly average which cost us with a couple of our bets. Perhaps he’s human after all! Anyway, he’ll need to bounce back this week as he backs up for two matches in the one night while Dave Chisnall gets the night off.

Let’s take a look at our Premier League Darts Week 8 preview!

Premier League Darts Week 8 Betting Tips

Michael van Gerwen vs James Wade

MVG kicks off the night against James Wade which should provide a strong start to the evening. MVG just wasn’t at the top of his game in what was a scrappy match against Phil Taylor last week. MVG came away with the win but it really wasn’t convincing by either player. The back injury is still a bit of a mystery and its unknown what affect it’s having on him. It will be a real test tonight with two matches to play in the one night. James Wade was also unconvincing last week, defeating an injured Jelle Klaasen. Wade averaged under 95 with no 180s and Klaasen actually had more shots on doubles than Wade did for the match. MVG is a short favourite but I have little confidence in either player at the moment, so I’m going to attack the 180s market. MVG had just one last week, which we could say was just an anomaly, as he has 21 in just six matches so far (average 3.5 per game). Wade didn’t have any 180s last week, hit just four in the last five weeks, and just 12 for the season at an average of just over 1.5 per game. I think the line of 6.5 180s for the match is high, and relies on MVG hitting a bunch to reach the overs. It’s possible, but given recent form, I’m happy to play the unders. You could also consider Wade under 2.5 180s as an alternative option.

TIP: Michael van Gerwen vs James Wade under 6.5 180s – $1.67 at Ladbrokes

Kim Huybrechts vs Gary Anderson

Kim Huybrechts is still searching for that elusive first victory of the season after going down 7-3 to Adrian Lewis last week. Huybrechts started off pretty strong but got rattled when Lewis confronted him about shaking the stage and just fell away from that point. It’s not the first time this season that Huybrechts has allowed himself to be bullied, and really, he needs to be a bit stronger in those situations. He needs to find the belief that he’s good enough to compete with, and defeat, these guys. However he’s not going to get any relief here against world number two Gary Anderson. Incredibly, Anderson has just two wins from his opening seven matches, despite his stats rating him as the second best in the league for scoring average, 180s and checkouts. Anderson has been unlucky to run into some players in white-hot form – it was Peter Wright earlier in the season, and then Barney last week. Anderson hasn’t been playing badly but his opponents seem to have been able to rise to the occasion. Anderson will be keen to wipe the floor with Huybrechts this week to lock up a big victory to improve his overall legs +/- which might be the difference in gaining a playoff berth at the end of the season. For Huybrechts, a loss here, and it’s season over, but I don’t see him challenging Anderson and I think it could get ugly. Anderson at the -2.5 leg handicap is worth consideration, but I’m going to chase some extra value with Anderson to win, have the most 180s and the highest checkout at a price at Sportsbet that is almost $1.00 higher than some other books.

TIP: Gary Anderson to win, score most 180s and highest checkout - $3.60 at Sportsbet

Peter Wright vs Phil Taylor

Another great game here with Peter Wright coming up against Phil Taylor. Wright was another who wasn’t quite at his best last week but a sub-94 average was enough to get past Dave Chisnall. His best has been soooo good this year, that you now expect “Snake Bite” to deliver that high standard every time he plays.  This will be a great test as he comes up against Phil Taylor who will no doubt heap on the pressure. While Wright is perched on top of the leaderboard, Taylor is in a tight group of players trying to hang onto a top four spot. He’s only secured two wins from his first seven matches, but the three draws suggest that he’s still a tough cookie to crack in his final year on tour. I’m tempted by a Wright victory but I have concerns about Phil standing up when it counts, so I think a draw is a real possibility. I also think the under 6.5 180s line is worth considering, but I’m going to take the good price offered at Ladbrokes for Wright to have the most 180s (the -0.5 handicap market). Wright hasn’t been smashing them out the last two weeks but is a good maximum thrower with 22 this season, while Taylor has just 12 for the season.

TIP: Peter Wright -0.5 180s handicap - $1.91 at Ladbrokes

Jelle Klaasen vs Adrian Lewis

It emerged last week that Jelle Klaasen has a severe wrist injury that will require surgery in May. You could see him grimace and shake his wrist at times last week against James Wade, and that was reflected by his play which was quite poor, averaging just 86. It’s hard to see how he will pick himself up to challenge Adrian Lewis here, especially with relegation appearing a near-certainty for the bottom-placed Klaasen. On the other hand, Lewis was clinical in his defeat of Kim Huybrechts last week, although I thought the way he carried on about the stage floor moving was embarrassing. Clearly there was an issue which affected everyone, and to accuse Kim of deliberately bouncing the stage was just plain bullying. Lewis obviously likes a good stoush as these blow-ups seem to happen pretty regularly from him. He is playing pretty well though, and if Klaasen’s wrist is no good, then Lewis should win easily here. I like Lewis at the -2.5 line but also want to look at the 180s handicap as he has been hitting maximums so well recently. He’s thrown 12 in the past two weeks, while Klaasen has just three. Once again, Ladbrokes are giving us the right price.

TIP: Adrian Lewis -0.5 180s handicap - $2.10 at Ladbrokes  (BEST BET)
TIP: Adrian Lewis win -2.5 legs handicap - $2.22 at CrownBet

Raymond van Barneveld vs Michael van Gerwen

A fantastic match to end the night with the two Dutch juggernauts going at it. Barney was simply sensational last week when he demolished Gary Anderson 7-2. Barney averaged nearly 104, had 5 maximums and 70% checkout rate. It was pure class. If he turns up and plays like that, he can beat anyone in the world, including MVG. But you have to feel that it’s going to be hard for Barney to back up and play that well again the next week.  As we mentioned earlier, MVG was a little off the boil last week and he needs to back up twice this week after missing an earlier round due to a back injury. While that may inconvenience him a little, we’ve seen that playing twice in the one night is not necessarily a disadvantage as you get the chance to get used to the conditions. Back injuries can be funny things to manage though, and if he stiffens up during the break then it could be a potential inconvenience. Barney is not one to be intimidated by MVG and has been able to push him to the limit on the biggest stages in the world of darts. I expect Barney to again push MVG all the way. I like Barney at the +3.5 handicap, but we’re getting a better price if we take total legs over 10.5 because I don’t think Barney is going to be winning 7-3 or better.

TIP: Raymond van Barneveld vs Michael van Gerwen o10.5 legs - $1.93 at CrownBet

Multi: Wade/MVG u8.5 180s + Wright/Taylor o9.5 legs + Anderson win + Lewis win + Barney/MVG o9.5 legs - $4.39 at CrownBet

- - -