It was an emotional first night in Rotterdam, as the Dutch double-header got underway last night. In truth, there was no bigger story than Raymond van Barneveld’s 7-1 loss to Daryl Gurney in front of his adoring public; Barney is now staring elimination down the barrel.
The unpredictability of this league reared its ugly head in the other fixtures, with Suljovic coming from way back to beat Cross and Wade stumbling to a draw against dancing Dimitri. Smith eased his elimination fears with an impressive win over Price, whereas MVG took Wright to the cleaners in a 7-1 demolition job.
In essence, the elimination of Barney last night may relaxing him for a proper farewell outing tonight against MVG. He’s got nothing but pride to play for, with a solid performance over the world champion all he can aim for.
What other drama can we expect on night two in Rotterdam?
Daryl Gurney vs Mensur Suljovic
Gurney silenced the Rotterdam crowd yesterday by relegating van Barneveld from the Premier League. With Suljovic also having a good win against an in-form Rob Cross it’s hard to side with either player here. A 6-6 draw could be on the cards.
Gurney 6-6 Suljovic @ 10/3 (BetVictor)
Peter Wright vs Gerwyn Price
Price is rightly favourite here with “Snakebite” looking way out of form. Wright struggled against van Gerwen yesterday averaging a disappointing 87 in a 7-1 defeat. Both players are desperate for a win to keep their play-off hopes alive. Price to seal a 7-3 win looks very good value if he can get off to a fast start.
Price 7-3 Wright @ 8/1 (BetVictor)
Rob Cross vs Jeffrey de Zwaan
Cross looked to be on his way to a comfortable win yesterday over Suljovic but somehow managed to throw away a 5-1 lead to eventually lose 7-5. He should bounce back here against ‘Contender’ Jeffrey de Zwann who will be nervous on his Premier League debut. A win inside 11.5 legs for “Voltage” is the call.
Under 10.5 legs @ 11/10 (BetVictor)
Raymond van Barneveld vs Michael van Gerwen
It will be an emotional night for van Barneveld playing his final Premier League match in front of his home crowd after being relegated from the league last night. Could he bow out with a win? hard to see it against MVG who returned to the top of the league last night. Expect something special in this one, a nine-darter or at least a 170 checkout could be on the cards.
170 finish in the match @ 7/1
James Wade vs Michael Smith
Smith removed the threat of relegation last night and with that pressure removed we could see him kick on and secure a place at the O2 in the playoffs. This won’t be easy though, “The Machine” has been solid in this year’s league and is always hard to beat. 7-5 either way is the tentative call.
Smith 7-5 Wade @ 11/2 (BetVictor)
