James Wade v Raymond van Barneveld

Kicking off the night is the man who had a terrible year in 2018 and whose appearance in the Premier League has been controversial to say the least. Barney kicks off his retirement tour but has been struggling for any form, while Wade has looked like more of his old self, ignoring his shameful on-stage antics in the Worlds. I’d have priced The Machine at evens or shorter, so backing him at odds-against is the way to go.

James Wade - 1pt @ 6/5

Chris Dobey v Mensur Suljovic

What a few days it must have been for Dobey – He’s gone from sitting on his sofa to playing in front of thousands in his home region. I hope this new ‘contenders’ format goes well, as I think it will freshen up the Premier League which was in danger of becoming a little stale. 

Despite all this, I can’t back ‘Hollywood’, because I think nerves will hit slightly. Mensur is solid enough and has won two of their previous three meetings. 11/8 for Suljovic on the -2.5 handicap looks more than fair. 

Suljovic -2.5 - 1pt @ 11/8

Michael van Gerwen v Michael Smith

This rematch from New Year’s Day is keenly anticipated. The weird thing about that World Final is that despite the underperformance of Smith, he still hit only one 180 less than MVG. But don’t look too much into that. Van Gerwen hit 17 more 180s over the course of the Premier League last year than Smith, and had more 180s than his opponent in 50% of his matches compared to Smith’s 38%.

Yet MVG is the underdog in the most 180s market with some bookies. Take the 13/10 price if you can get it.

van gerwen Most 180s - 1pt @ 13/10