The Darts tips have been profitable this Premier League, take a look at these four tips for finals night.
Michael van Gerwen v Daryl Gurney
After 16 great nights, we come down to four players battling out at the O2. All four have won majors and two have lifted this trophy before, but come 11pm on Thursday, I think that number will rise to three. But more on that later.
Michael van Gerwen pipped Rob Cross to the league leaders crown last week and comes into this as short as 1/2 for a fourth straight crown. His stats are frightening and his head-to-head record against Gurney (19 wins from 24) is formidable.
Superchin had more tons, 140s and 180s than MvG in the league campaign and heavy scoring is his only way to get a foothold here, because his checkout percentage is the worst of the four semi-finalists.
I expect MvG to win and possibly win well, but the market here is for Gurney’s 180 count. 6/5 is available for over 4.5 and I think that’s a good price; he knows that he has to perform well in this category to stand a chance and if we see 15 legs of action, that equates to a maximum every three legs, which is very achievable.
Rob Cross v James Wade
Cross lost to MvG in the semis last year but tonight I see him going at least one better. Wade returns to the play-offs for the first time in six years and is on a six-game unbeaten run but his average has only got near the ton mark once in that time.
I expect a high-quality game but give the edge to Cross, even though Wade had his number last week. Cross has shown the ability to learn from his mistakes in the past and the -1.5 handicap appeals, it’s a very small line given that Cross is a comfortable favourite.
Finally, we’ll have a small punt on a 170 checkout being hit by one of these two. 12/1 is a very big price (it’s 7s elsewhere) and both have a 160+ checkout already in the locker this year. Bizarrely, the three people that have hit ‘The Big Fish’ in the tournament this year, have all been knocked out already!
Premier League Darts Winner
When it’s all said and done, I’m expecting the Cross/van Gerwen final that most of us do. And maybe I’m still riding high from his semi-final win in the 2018 Worlds, but I genuinely believe that Cross has the game and the bottle to challenge MvG. You can get 9/2 currently on Cross to win the tournament, a great standout price given that I make him around 2/1 in a one-off final against the Dutchman. Let’s hope we end on a high note!
