Week 3 of Premier League Darts sees the world's top players arrive in Belfast. Rod Harrington previews the games and wonders if Phil Taylor's weight loss has affected his throw...
Wes Newton v Adrian Lewis
Wes Newton didn't play well early on against Barney last week and went 5-2 down, but then turned three legs around very quickly with some big finishes and ended up winning the match. He played well at the weekend and is a solid player, who you can't take lightly. He's a 95 to 98 average player most of the time and if his opponent hits 104 he will win - but otherwise Newton has a chance.
Adrian Lewis wasn't very consistent at the weekend, especially in the match he lost against Chisnall - and that's unusual because he's been playing extremely well of late. Maybe it's because he drove out to Holland (as he often does) instead of taking a flight and that extra tiredness and time cost him. He's had two or three days of rest and I think he will rock up and win in Belfast. I have to back him, strictly because of his extra scoring power - but Newton has plenty of consistency and will have a good go.
Raymond van Barneveld v Simon Whitlock
We saw glimpses of the old Barney last week, which was a shame. He went 5-2 up on Wes Newton and then it was as if the new Barney went off stage for a cup of coffee and the old Barney turned up and started looping his darts with little strength. That saw him lose the game.
But I've got to go for a Barney win here, purely on the form book. Simon Whitlock just hasn't been doing it lately. He hasn't played well in the UK Open qualifiers or in his Premier League matches and maybe that's down to some of the cold and flu he's been dealing with. Although Barney lost last week, he did get 5-2 up very quickly and I think that result will have woken him up ahead of this week's matches.
Robert Thornton v Gary Anderson
This is a battle of the Jocks, but I've got to go for Gary Anderson, who played well against Simon Whitlock last Thursday and repeated that form in Holland over the weekend. I chatted with him a lot last weekend and he's feeling very confident; he has his scoring power back and I think that extra power will see him just nick this game against Robert. However, as ever, if Gary messes around with his doubles then Robert won't let him off.
