Nathan Aspinall v Jose De Sousa
With both of these guys now safe, they can be let off the hook. That is the kind of statement that makes me very happy, because they will want to add one last win to their total before they go for the title.
I said that Jose wouldn’t make it to the last 4, but I am more than happy to eat my words, as he has been one of the best additions to our playing roster in this entire generation. Not only is he a nice guy, but he is a silent assassin in taking players out and maybe this game will be a pre-cursor to a match in the play-offs. If indeed they finish 2nd and 3rd respectively, they will meet again on Friday night in the semi-finals, which makes this game very, very important for the bragging rights and immediate memories.
When they have played, they have served up something different every time, but that will change here. One win for both and a draw in their three meetings tells you that it will be close, so who will have the edge to glance to the front in their personal battle stakes?
I don’t see Aspinall taking his foot off the gas, and what you see is what you get from De Sousa, so let them get up there and crack on I say. I predict lots of 180’s as the pressure is off a smidge, and maybe this is the perfect game for a closing 9-darter in a PL that has already seen two of them.
He's close to his record Premier League points total but people still say he's having a bad a year. MVG has a valid point as he goes clear at the top. ️@MvG180 #PLDarts21 | #PremierLeagueDarts | @OfficialPDC pic.twitter.com/Glp9I8u57N
— Unibet (@unibet) May 26, 2021
Peter Wright v Michael Van Gerwen
With Peter Wrights hopes of a top four spot gone, he will eye up a contest with the already qualified MVG as maybe the perfect yardstick to see what he has to do going forward. Imagine if he wins his last four games and it didn’t carry him to the semi-finals? Talk about frustrating.
Michael qualified when he dumped out Gary Anderson on Tuesday, and even though he did punch his ticket to the playoffs with 2 games to spare, he made an oath on social media and to the press that he would go full throttle until the death. I wouldn’t expect anything less, and even though he didn’t play well against Aspinall on Monday, he really is trying to squeeze everything out of himself so he can get his first title of 2021 at Milton Keynes.
As for how I see this match going, I have seen enough of Snakebite in the 13 years I’ve known him to understand that he will be sharp for this, and will most definitely make it exciting and thrilling. This will go deep and Michael will want one last big confidence blast before the finals, so 8-6 either way is a good bet, as is the draw.
We saw that insane 161 checkout from Wright on Wednesday, and don’t be surprised if you see another. His likelihood of getting that checkout in games against Michael is uncanny.
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Peter Wright to win 8-6, and alongside that have a look at a checkout of over 140 by either player – (11/1, 4/1 and 7/2)
Dimitri Van Den Bergh v Jonny Clayton
So, it comes down to this game. MVG, Aspinall and De Sousa can rest easy and just play, but these two have one last head to head to determine who will join them in the last four. Whoever does it, they will make up a brilliant, different looking playoff bunch, which can only be good for the sport.
Both have looked a little shaky in front of the fans this week, but you may have to say that Dimitri has been the better in the closer games. That may be the telling factor. We saw multiple ton plus finishes from Dimi in his last match with Wade, and the energy and aura around him afterwards in talking to the media tells me that he will be ready to fire come Thursday night.
Clayton was really good at the start in some games this week, but flagged at the wrong time against Snakebite on Night 15. Winning a playoff match v Mervyn King to get his place in this league may be the thing that The Ferret needs to cling to, and one more game will get him to the last 4 on debut, but I seriously think that it may be Dimitri that gets there, and maybe gets the title too as a result.
If Clayton is to find a win somehow, he will have to remember what he did right against Anderson on Monday, because that was his best performance of the entire league for me. Anything less than that, and it will be another Welshman who occupies the 5th spot for the 2nd year in a row.
– Dimitri to win an edgy match – (11/10)
Accumulator of the night
Aspinall, Wright, Dimitri and Wade to win – (40/1 – Click here to bet directly)
