Friday 15 April 2016 08:24, UK
Raymond van Barneveld will be battling to keep his play-off hopes alive on night 11 of the Premier League in Belfast.
The Dutchman will play twice on Thursday night, live on Sky Sports, and desperately needs to turn around his fortunes after last week's defeat by James Wade left him six points adrift of the top four.
Leader Phil Taylor, world No 1 Michael van Gerwen and defending champion Gary Anderson are also part of a packed line-up at the SSE Arena.
Wright let another precious point slip away against Adrian Lewis, who pinched a draw in the final leg.
The result left 'Snakebite' two points away from the play-off places, but he will be favourite to beat Thornton.
After surviving 'Judgement Night', Thornton has failed to inject life into his flagging campaign, and was beaten again by Van Gerwen on night 10.
'Barney' takes on old rival Taylor in the opening match of a crucial double-header for the Dutchman.
Van Barneveld hit only four of 14 darts at a double in last week's woeful defeat by Wade and cannot afford such wasteful finishing against Taylor.
'The Power' is three points clear at the top of the table after wins over Gary Anderson and Wade.
Wade's closing defeat to Taylor took some of the shine off a ruthless win over Van Barneveld.
But 'The Machine' remains in contention for a play-off place and has joined Anderson and Lewis on thirteen points.
Victory over a near rival would boost Wade's top-four hopes, but 'Jackpot' has been grinding out results in recent weeks and should be a tough test.
Van Gerwen and Anderson could serve up another memorable match as the sport's top two players meet again.
Both have stuttered in recent weeks, with Van Gerwen racking up three draws before his win over Thornton, while Anderson was well beaten by Taylor.
But two of the tour's fiercest competitors will be determined to claim a sweet victory on the big stage.
By this stage, 'Barney' will either have breathed new life into his campaign, or his plight near the foot of the table will have become even more desperate.
Thornton can play without fear as his play-off push was derailed weeks ago and could effectively kill off the Dutchman's season with a win in the last match.
Robert Thornton v Peter Wright
Raymond van Barneveld v Phil Taylor
James Wade v Adrian Lewis
Michael van Gerwen v Gary Anderson
Raymond van Barneveld v Robert Thornton
Watch all of the Premier League action from night 11 in Belfast, starting at 7pm on Sky Sports 1.
