Mensur Suljovic v James Wade
First and foremost, the format changes now that phase one has ended and Raymond van Barneveld is watching from the sidelines. It is now best of 14, not 12. The possibility of a 7-7 draw is there and if someone wants to win, they will have to get to 8 legs.
As Belfast gets under way, this game will intrigue as well as excite. These guys have a lot of history and some of it is very recent.
They will both be buoyed by the fact that they were never in the mix for the elimination spot and can now focus on how they get to The O2, but what will be playing on their minds is the last encounter they had in Leverkusen two weeks ago. There was a little bit of petulance from Wade and obvious tactical game play from Mensur, which resulted in words exchanged and a victory for the Austrian. The thing to note here, is Suljovic knows which opponents he can rattle with sporadic changes of pace and Wade is most definitely someone who doesn’t like being played like a fiddle. On that occasion he was, but surely he will be more prepared this time round.
After a three-point haul in Rotterdam, which included a magnificent win against Michael Smith, Wade will know that he can get one back on Mensur here in the best possible fashion, as Suljovic only got two points in Holland.
Those two points however, were miraculous and well deserved after a monumental comeback against Rob Cross. Mensur’s recent form has been very similar to that of James though, with no wins this season but deep runs in a few events. That makes this one tough to call.
I can’t for a second see Mensur playing a swift game here, and that makes this all about James. Can he cope with what is put in front of him? I am going to say yes. After a 9-darter on tour at the weekend and some classy showings. I can see James wanting revenge with The Gentle in the Belfast opener, as he looks to solidify more points and that top place in the averages in this year’s PL. He will want his revenge for Nottingham too, where Mensur won 7-3 three weeks back.
Someone in this game will hit a big outshot.
Checkout over 122.5 in the match – 4/5
Peter Wright v Michael Smith
It's been a strange week for Bully Boy, Michael Smith. He played much better in the Rotterdam double-header but then decided not to travel to Hildesheim to play in The German Darts Championship. He put his family first, which is very admirable, but in doing so he is now putting his season under stress with his Euro Tour seeding now under immense threat.
However, his showings in Holland were very gritty and full of passion. He wasn’t able to get a result against Wade on night 2, but on night 1 he provided a wonderful bullseye out 90 to grab two points against Gezzy Price.
Snakebite has been plugging away very nicely this season, and even though he dropped to world number 5 this week, that won’t stop Peter from working even harder to try and get back into the top trio of this sport. His efforts in Rotterdam were dominated by his inaccuracy with evident winds on stage and as a result he could classify the double PL night as an empty swag bag. He will want to put that right immediately, because if he doesn’t he could get left behind very quickly.
With Peter at 7th in the table (3 points adrift of Gurney in 4th) and Michael in 8th spot another point back, this could well be a sickener for the potential loser and see them being cast out to sea.
Based on current form, averages and confidence I have to go with Wright at this stage. He is playing better than Smith and that can’t be denied, making him an obvious favourite to get two points.
Rob Cross v Daryl Gurney
Gurney will never be happier to see the SSE Arena in Belfast. Not only is this his home game, which will see him given an 8000 strong fan hug, but after winning his first Euro Tour event at the weekend in The German Darts Championship, he will be flying. Couple that win with a perfect double header in Holland which saw him pick up four points, end the PL career of RVB and vault himself into the play-off spots; what more can you say about his fortnight?
He has the luxury of very little travel this week which rarely happens for him and he can spend more time doing what he needs to do instead of waiting for planes, trains and automobiles too. It's a good week to be Superchin.
He will serenade the crowd, then get down to business and Rob Cross will be public enemy number 1, albeit for only 30-40 minutes.
The likeable Cross had an up and down Rotterdam, as he let points slip against Mensur Suljovic and had a good comeback win against the last contender Jeffrey De Zwaan. His Pro-Tour efforts have been very solid too with big showings but still no wins, which is puzzling everyone involved in the game.
Cross knows what he is in for here and it will be vociferous to say the least. He was defeated by Daryl on the way to him winning in Hildesheim on Sunday, but that game was more to do with Rob’s poor showing rather than Gurney’s brilliance. Cross had no resistance, and if that happens again Gurney will not relent.
It's a tough one to call but I am going to go for a dramatic draw, which may see the crowd disappointed, but for both players that won’t be a bad thing whatsoever considering where they stand in the table.
Michael van Gerwen v Gerwyn Price
Let's just say it, MVG owns Gezzy Price in the head-to head record. Even Gezzy has said in the press this week that only Michael can get in his thoughts when he has him as an opponent. That is pretty telling stuff from a very aggressive dart player who feeds off adrenalin and guile from others on the oche.
The main question is, can Gezzy get one over on MVG? I can’t see it right now for a myriad of reasons. One, the mind games above. Two, he’s never beaten Michael, and three, Michael is in great form, aside his defeat to Keegan Brown on Saturday in Hildesheim. That had nothing to do with the ineptitude of MVG as he averaged 108 and still lost. That was all about the brilliance of Brown.
In a funny sort of way, that extra day at home for Michael may have helped his preparation for Belfast and I think he will be eyeing a big night here, not only to pick up two points but maybe he also thinks that Cross will drop points to Gurney, giving him the opportunity to get a lead in the standings for the first time in weeks.
Gerwyn Price’s resistance has to be turned up. Their last encounter saw Michael snatch the win after The Iceman squandered a glorious chance to beat the world number 1. That should make Price angry, and I hope it has because if he has any chance in this match he will have to take every moment at tops and tens he gets. If he misses early, it will be over in a Mark Dudbridge minute (Thats a “flash” for new darts fans).
I am going with the Green Machine here though. I think Price will beat MVG soon, but not this time.
MVG to win and have highest checkout – 8/11
UniBets of the night
1 – Peter Wright to win and have biggest checkout – 4/1. Peter is a big finisher and playing the better of the two just now.
2 – 11/10 for over 7.5 180’s in the MVG and Price game. Both big maximum hitters and it could go at least 13 legs so plenty of scope.
3 – 6/5 for a bullseye finish in the Wade/Suljovic match. Surely that has to happen considering how many times they will be having to go for it.
