Gerwyn Price v Michael Smith
It isn’t difficult to see who the favourite is in this match, for many different reasons. Even though Michael Smith is not playing poorly, he isn’t getting results everywhere he goes. It's almost like people are taking advantage of his league position and making him more miserable. He showed obvious signs of stress in last week’s Premier League night in Berlin with a frustrating display against Mensur Suljovic. Suljovic plodded on, did his thing and it was more than enough to gain the two points, and Smith looked baffled by his plight. He will be even more baffled after an enthralling battle with Polish ace Ratajski last weekend, which resulted in Michael losing 6-5 after being 5-1 down, bringing it back to 5-5 then missing two match darts.
Gezzy was creamed by a silky-smooth Rob Cross in Berlin and there is no shame in that right now. However, over the weekend Gerwyn showed fighting spirit against tough opposition at the Euro Tour event in Leverkusen. He was only just pipped 6-5 by MVG in a pulsating quarter final, but the way he left that building said to me that he is still battle ready going to Rotterdam. For me, he seems way more positive than Bully Boy and that mindset could well get The Iceman a vital two points towards the play-offs.
Expect noise from Gezzy early and if Smith can’t upset his mojo, it will be goodnight for him in game one of the evening.
Smith is under the cosh from Barney in the league standings after his first win got him a vital two points, so don’t expect Michael to be safe going into Judgement Night. The way I see it, it's going to the wire and Smith may get drawn into a leg difference situation.
James Wade v Dimitri Van den Bergh
The body popping Belgian joins us as the penultimate contender for Rotterdam, and I wonder which talent we will see. He is a little unpredictable, not only because of his past form, but his current play. He is either out of this world or something quite the contrary. The past weekend confirmed this as he ousted “Jackpot” Adrian Lewis from The European Open with amazing darts, then the next day he couldn’t hit a correct shot with a porcupine. I sincerely hope the ultra-talented Dimi shows up, because if he does he will trouble Wade massively.
James Wade is meandering along with calm and poise. He is putting together a season of worrying consistency and it is taking super games to take him out. He is firing more big finishes this season than I have noticed from him in a decade, so he is looming large in the 100 to 130 range. Opponents shouldn’t be affording him chances. The problem Van den Bergh has with James here is that Wade is playing with urgency, and when he does that, watch out! Wade will get points here but as to how depends on the mood and start of the two-time current World Youth Champion.
Rob Cross v Mensur Suljovic
Both of these players have had very good times in the past 10 days. Not only are they both in spots for the play-offs right now and not in any risk of relegation, but they are winning fabulous matches with some aggressive and classy darts.
Mensur will be buoyed by the fact that this is a much-improved campaign for him (results wise) and that he can plan for the post Judgement Night frivolities. However, he needs to start making statements against the top brass if he is going to go further in this PL. He has picked up points here and there but it's time for him to step up and create some MensurMania fireworks.
Unfortunately for Suljovic fans, you can’t go against the league leading Cross getting two more points in this match. He is averaging over 100 for the season, both PL and Pro Tour, plus he’s playing as well as I have seen him in his career. He is vibrant in the practice room, focused when he needs to be and is flying. He will be nothing but motivated after losing a memorable final in Leverkusen to MVG where he really pushed the world number 1. How he hasn’t won a title in 2019 yet, I don’t have a clue.
I simply cannot back against Cross because he is playing THAT WELL, and even though Mensur made the semi-finals in the same tournament on Sunday, he didn't show the level that Rob did, and for that reason, Rob will win this game.
Peter Wright v Michael van Gerwen
For the second game in a row in Rotterdam we get a semi-finalist from Leverkusen playing a finalist. However, MVG won the entire thing with a huge list of achievements. A nine-darter, a 170 kill which was preceded by a 171 set up after Cross fired in scores of 180 and 174. Add to that a gutsy 118 outshot to deny Gezzy a semi-final spot in a last leg thriller. I think it's fair to say that MVG and The Euro Tour have come together and created magic once more. It is exactly what Michael needed after some iffy performances which had created questions. He has had a lot on his plate, both personally and professionally, so you have to say that win at the weekend was very well timed going into RVB’s Rotterdam retirement shindig.
NINE DARTER!
"Is there anything this man cannot do on a dartboard?!"
Michael van Gerwen ends a perfect leg on double top in the semi-finals of the European Darts Open pic.twitter.com/4Y6fWpGE5C
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) March 24, 2019
Wright has been playing superbly lately and has been grinding like a pestle and mortar in order to ensure he isn’t relegated and in position to strike post Judgement Night. He has a comfort level with the skinny flights now that is very evident, and he may pose issues for MVG, but not enough of them I feel. Even though Peter’s PL record against Michael is excellent after doing the double over him last year, I think we are looking at a completely different scenario this time around. Peter is level on points with Wade and Suljovic just now but that will not be the case come Rotterdam night two, where he will play Gezzy. I think in that match he has more of a chance. In this one, you cannot back against the Green Machine on home turf.
Van Gerwen to be King of the Oche – 9/4
Raymond van Barneveld v Daryl Gurney
A lot of people thought that RVB might have already been out of this event by the time he came to have his final hurrah in Holland’s biggest port city. Well, after denying Berlin a home win with Max Hopp a week ago, he has given himself a chance of survival. He may have been denied a win in round one of the European Open by old friend Steve Beaton, but there wasn’t any shame in his performance. He looked better on Friday night than he did on Thursday, so he is trending in the right direction.
Gurney made a decent impression in that same event, and made a huge statement in Berlin by taking MVG out that night. Not only did he stick with Michael early as he had to, but he stretched his legs later in the game to record a famous big stage double over the man in green in the last few months. There have been tell-tale signs with the Gurney game lately though, that of the first dart, which still plagued him a little on night seven, but also his inability to start with a bang. He is creeping back into games brilliantly, but his starts have been too patchy, and it could be that aspect that Barney pounces on with a ravenous crowd behind him.
Barney will be inspired, as he always is with his army singing his name, and it's that inspiration that makes me think that RVB will take us into Judgement Night with questions to ask and answer.
If Gurney can pull off a win however, it may be more impressive than beating MVG the week previous. This will be a tense affair, which could give us a close game. Expect 11 or 12 legs of action.
UniBets of the night
1 – MVG and Snakebite to serve up more than 6.5 x 180’s in their match is Evens. They will play a lot of legs I believe, and with Wright matching MVG in the maximum stakes lately, this is good value.
2 – Gerwyn Price to win his match and have the highest out at 3/1. The way Smith is playing, I don’t see him matching Price in these spots so 3/1 is enticing.
3 – Over 119.50 finish at 17/20 for Wade. He is having a ball with finishing lately and has been banging in something special in most games.
