On Thursday night in Leeds we could witness the biggest crowd that's ever watched PDC darts and Rod Harrington says we've reached a crucial stage in the battle to beat relegation...
Phil's darts still aren't quite right and he keeps drifting into the fives and sevens at times, but his scoring power has been exceptional in the last couple of weeks. He has been missing doubles and if that happens on Thursday night and Newton can punish him for it then the pressure will be on him. Wes needs to play well in the early part of the game because if he goes a couple of legs behind then I don't see how he can win. Wes has two wins and a draw so he has proved he can grind results out if he gets a sniff, but I think Taylor will win the game.
Peter Wright v Raymond van Barneveld
Peter Wright has 10 points and I think we'll definitely see him in the Play-Offs. You can't call him a surprise package because I've seen his progress over the last few years but he has now become a class player. Eric Bristow would call him a "proper" darts player and he proved that against Whitlock last week. Sometimes it's hard to perform against a lower ranked opponent when you're top of the league (just look at Chelsea on Saturday), but Wright has been focused and isn't showing any complacency. He's got the Phil Taylor mindset of concentrating on the next three darts he's going to throw - and not worrying about anything else. It's great sports psychology and he's not putting himself under any pressure. The confidence he has in his own ability is through the roof.
Barney is a hard player to back, but a hard player to back against. He's a five-time World Champion and is capable of doing anything - but if Wright gets in front we'll see him shaking his head and doubting himself. If he gets in front he will feel upbeat and anything could happen. Like several of the other matches, I think this could be a draw. The form book says Wright will win, but you can never write Barney off.
