Premier League Darts: Gary Anderson vs Rob Cross live on Sky Sports

Two players who would expect to be in the top four, yet neither have hit the ground running. World champion Cross, at least, has won his previous two matches after an awful start. A back injury still haunts Anderson who was beaten by MVG then, last week, narrowly avoided another loss to Snakebite.

Wright’s season so far would look very different had he not missed a dart to beat Anderson last week. The world No 3 looks odds-on to consolidate his hopes of a top four finish at the expense of Gurney, who is winless with elimination already looming.

Suljovic has won a respectable four out of 12 matches against MVG. But MVG has looked his usual self, except for a slip-up against Snakebite. This should be a nightmare for Suljovic but perhaps his slow style is the perfect antidote to stop the world No 1.

Bully Boy remains top of the pile with a 100 percent record but surely that must end eventually. Barney has a 7-5 head-to-head record but has lost two in a row. As a result, Smith will fancy his chances of further extending his lead here.

Whitlock has been sensational, his only loss to Smith who tops the table so far. In that sense, playing winless Price seems like a foregone conclusion. This may determine if Whitlock is merely riding the crest of a wave, and if Price belongs on this stage.