The Unibet Premier League Darts is back for another season and it all kicks off in Newcastle this Thursday!
We’ll be following the 10 biggest names in darts as they battle each week on the oche for one of the biggest prizes in the sport.
Michael van Gerwen is defending champion but knows the field will be tough this season, with nine legs scheduled over Phase 1 of the competition.
And you can live stream darts and bet in-play on all the action right here with Unibet TV!
We’ll be showing the matches from around Europe live each week and you can bet on it all here.
Unibet Premier League Darts
Week 1 — Thursday, February 7, Newcastle
James Wade vs Raymond van Barneveld
First up in the Unibet Premier League Darts this year is Wade vs Barneveld. This is Barney’s last Premier League, with the Dutchman set to retire after the World Championship next January.
Wade and Barneveld have faced off a staggering 51 times on the oche. Barney boasts a W25 D4 L22 record but was thumped 11-2 when he last met Wade in the World Series of Darts Finals.
Barney is the 2.65 underdog here, with Wade priced at 2.20. In the 2017 Premier League Barney won both their clashes 7-2 and is well placed to win again here.
Gerwyn Price vs Daryl Gurney
Welshman Price boasts an impressive 7-1-1 record over Gurney, but the latter will take heart from the fact he secured a 6-6 draw in their last Premier League encounter in 2018. Gurney’s sole win over Price was an obscure 6-4 triumph at a Players Championship event in 2017.
How many, @MvG180? pic.twitter.com/aZbceqqyhE
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) February 3, 2019
Yet the Northern Irishman is the 2.10 favourite to win here. Neither man is in particularly good form, having both lost in the first round of the Masters last week. History suggests Price should win this match and his darts betting odds of 2.80 make that even more tempting.
Michael van Gerwen vs Michael Smith
MVG is the 1.44 favourite to win this match and get his Unibet Premier League Darts campaign off to a roaring start. And Van Gerwen really should not be overlooked here. He comes into Thursday’s match having just won the Masters for a fifth year in succession.
Van Gerwen beat Smith 7-3 in the final of the World Championship as well this year, averaging a magnificent 102.21 at the Ally Pally. This is the match to watch if you’re a darts betting nut!
Peter Wright vs Rob Cross
Possibly the most evenly-matched of the opening matches in Newcastle, Wright vs Cross could well end is a draw. Cross has disappointed this year and was a first-round exit at the Masters last week, suffering a 10-6 pounding by Joe Cullen.
Wright reached the semi-finals before again failing to convert some good form into a title. He exited 11-9 to Wade, having averaged below 99.00 in any of his matches in Milton Keynes.
These men drew 6-6 in the Premier League last year and Cross has had the upper-hand in battles between them since. But another draw at 4.00 is worth considering.
