Darts Tips
7.15pm: Peter Wright v Rob Cross – Cross (-2.5)
7.45pm: Gerwyn Price v Nathan Aspinall – Price Most 180s & Win
8.15pm: Michael van Gerwen v Michael Smith – Van Gerwen (-1.5)
8.45pm: Luke Humphries v Luke Littler – Over 7.5 180s
- An acca with these selections pays at approximately 17/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
You have to feel for Luke Humphries at the moment. He won 20 matches in a row, scooping the Grand Slam, Players Championships and World Championships titles in the space of two months, and nobody seems to care at all. That’s because there’s a much more interesting Luke in town, the sensational Luke Littler.
He’s taken the darting world by storm, sweeping aside blokes twice his age, and is living proof of the old adage, take care of the kebabs and the darts will take care of themselves. Meanwhile, 34-year-old relic Michael van Gerwen goes off as third-favourite for the 2024 edition of the Premier League, behind the two Lukes.
It’s a testament to the standard on the darts circuit currently that you can get 7/2 on the current holder and seven-time winner. Before we get anywhere near finding out who’s going to win the thing at the end of May, we’ve got 16 Nights of action as the best players in the world compete for a place at finals night.
Each Thursday will be a mini tournament bracket, with the winner securing five points for league table. The top 4 in the table at the end of the year will book their place in the Semi Finals at The O2. We kick things off in Cardiff on Night 1 with replays of the last two World Championships finals. Here’s how I see those quarter-finals shaping up.
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7.15pm: Wright v Cross – Cross (-2.5)
Despite being an undisputed legend of the game, Peter Wright’s inclusion in the Premier League this year might have raised a few eyebrows. He’s had a poor couple of months, with only two wins since the start of November.
Rob Cross, meanwhile, had a strong World Championships, losing to Luke Littler in the semi-finals. The Englishman should have far too much for Peter Wright and win quite comfortably. I wouldn’t put anyone off the Rob Cross Match Treble or whitewash either, but sticking with the Cross (-2.5) handicap for the acca here.
7.45pm: Price v Aspinall – Price Most 180s & Win
Gerwyn Price has been in decent form of late, despite a disappointing World Championships exit. He’s only lost twice in January, both to Luke Littler, so you can let him off there.
Aspinall has had a fairly ropey start to the year, following a 3-0 defeat in the World Championships with defeats to Littler and Noppert this month. His scoring also seems to have deserted him, failing to hit more than two 180s in any of those games, making Price Most 180s & Win look very appealing price here.
8.15pm: Van Gerwen v Smith – Van Gerwen (-1.5)
A year ago, this would have been the most hotly anticipated match of the afternoon, but with Michael Smith struggling for form, it feels like a foregone conclusion. Smith looked okay at the Bahrain Darts Masters, dispatching Peter Wright before losing 7-6 to MvG in the semi-final.
However, he averaged less than 92 against MvG in that game and – let’s face it – anyone would look alright against Peter Wright at the moment. MvG looks like he’s on a mission to assert his authority this year. He’s made a good start to January, reaching two finals out of two, and should overpower Michael Smith quite comfortably.
8.45pm: Humphries v Littler – Over 7.5 180s
Predictably, there’s nothing between these two in the betting for Night One. Luke Littler has shown he’s very capable in this shorter format, having reached back-to-back finals in January, including a 6-5 victory over Humphries last week. He’s hit four 180s in seven out of those eight games, so he’s got no issue hitting the ground running in a best of 11.
Humphries has been slightly off the pace by his own high standards since his World Championship victory, losing to both Price and Littler in the last two weekends. A braver man would pick a winner here, but I’m going to choose the cop out and back Over 7.5 180s instead. Why do you need to choose between them? To paraphrase Rio Ferdinand, just enjoy them!
The winner of this match will surely be favourite to win Night 1, but will have to get past MvG to reach the final. What a format! The Premier League is well and truly back.
Darts Tips
7.15pm: Peter Wright v Rob Cross – Cross (-2.5)
7.45pm: Gerwyn Price v Nathan Aspinall – Price Most 180s & Win
8.15pm: Michael van Gerwen v Michael Smith – Van Gerwen (-1.5)
8.45pm: Luke Humphries v Luke Littler – Over 7.5 180s
- An acca with these selections pays at approximately 17/1 with Paddy Power. CLICK HERE TO ADD TO YOUR BETSLIP
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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