Grant Heaney delivers his top betting tips for Premier League Darts Night 9.
Premier League Darts Night 9 Accumulator @ 2/1 (BoyleSports)
Leg 1: Michael van Gerwen vs Stephen Bunting - Over 8.5 Legs @ 4/11 (BoyleSports)
A minimum of nine legs should be within range when Michael van Gerwen takes on Stephen Bunting in Thursday night’s curtain-raiser in Manchester. MVG rediscovered some form last week, finishing runner-up to Luke Littler and, in doing so, climbing back into the all-important top four.
Notably, each of the Dutchman’s three matches last Thursday featured at least nine legs. It could be a similar story when he faces Bunting. Four of the Bullet’s last five Premier League matches have produced over 8.5 legs, including a 6-3 defeat to Littler last time out.
Leg 2: Gerwyn Price vs Luke Humphries - Over 8.5 Legs @ 4/11 (BoyleSports)
Gerwyn Price and Luke Humphries will go head-to-head in what looks set to be a crunch clash in the fight for a top-four finish on Thursday night. The Iceman currently holds third place on 14 points, while Cool Hand sits fifth with 11. With both players likely to push each other to the limit in pursuit of two crucial points, this match could easily go the distance.
That was the case when they met on night one in Newcastle, with a last-leg decider giving Price a narrow 6-5 victory. Another match featuring 11 legs wouldn’t be a surprise here, making the over 8.5 angle well worth backing.
Leg 3: Gian van Veen v Luke Littler - Luke Littler Win @ 2/7 (BoyleSports)
Luke Littler has started to assert his authority in this year’s Premier League and looks well placed to pick up another win against Gian van Veen on Thursday night. The Nuke has claimed three of the last four weekly prizes, with last Thursday’s triumph in Berlin seeing him leapfrog Johnny Clayton at the top of the table.
Van Veen, meanwhile, slipped to sixth place and looked off the pace during last week’s 6-1 defeat to Gerwyn Price. Littler’s case is made even stronger by his record against the Dutchman - he has won four of the last five meetings, including their only clash in this year’s Premier League so far.
Leg 4: Jonny Clayton vs Josh Rock - Over 8.5 Legs @ 4/11 (BoyleSports)
Josh Rock will be hoping lightning strikes twice when he takes on Jonny Clayton in the last of Thursday night’s four quarter-final ties. The Northern Irishman finally got off the mark at the eighth attempt last week when claiming a 6-3 win over Clayton.
While the Ferret still sits comfortably in second spot in the table, his recent form has dipped, so this might not be the straightforward affair the pre-match odds suggest. As mentioned, Rock saw off Clayton 6-3 last Thursday, and another contest featuring over 8.5 legs looks like the best way to play this one.
Midnite
Premier League Darts Night 9 Weekly Winners
Tip 1: Luke Littler To Win Night 9 @ 4/5 (SpreadEx)
Having been the last player standing in three of the last four Thursdays, Luke Littler is hard to oppose for top honours in Manchester at best odds of 5/4 on Ladbrokes. Following a slow start to his Premier League campaign, the teenage sensation has hit top gear in recent weeks and now finds himself leading the table.
With a quarter-final tie against Gian van Veen and then a potential semi-final showdown with either Josh Rock or Jonny Clayton, it would be surprising if Littler didn’t make it to the night’s main event once again.
The final could throw up a tricky test, but on current form, it’s hard to see anyone stopping the Nuke from tightening his grip at the summit by adding another five points to his tally.
Tip 2: Michael van Gerwen To Win Night 9 @ 12/1 (AK Bets)
Michael van Gerwen looks good value at 9/1 with Sky Bet to land a nightly win in Manchester on Thursday. The Dutchman was in impressive form in Berlin last Thursday, seeing off both Luke Humphries and Josh Rock, while he averaged north of 103 in a 6-4 defeat to Luke Littler in the final.
If van Gerwen can get past Stephen Bunting in his opener, that momentum could carry him through a semi-final tie against either Gerwyn Price or Luke Humphries, which would potentially set up a rematch of last week’s final. The Green Machine always seems to lift his game against Littler, making him an enticing prospect at a big price to secure what would be a second nightly success of the season.
