Premier League Darts: Wayne Mardle's predictions
Thursday 1 February 2018 23:31, UK
Premier League Darts returns on Thursday, live on Sky Sports, featuring Michael van Gerwen vs Rob Cross. Wayne Mardle looks into his crystal ball...
Live Premier League Darts
Mensur Suljovic v Simon Whitlock
Simon was playing well six months ago, but not now. I think Simon will struggle in the Premier League. When he's on, he struggles for wins and when he's off, he loses.
Mensur's finishing and sheer consistency around the treble should sort Simon out.
Michael Smith vs Gary Anderson
Michael is a far better player than he was two years ago. I'm not saying he'll make the play-offs but he won't loiter around the bottom. I want him to do well because I believe he has such a talent.
Gary likes playing Michael. The speed of Michael plays nicely into Gary's hands. Gary will get him.
Daryl Gurney vs Raymond van Barneveld
This is a bad, bad fixture for Gurney. He will have wanted to play Gerwyn Price, Michael Smith or Simon Whitlock. I am a Barney fan - he has made the play-offs eight times so why can't he make it again?
Barney will be too good for Gurney.
Michael van Gerwen vs Rob Cross
Michael won the Masters to put things right. He was out of sorts in patches but he soon found his gear. He wasn't playing well in the final. There was relief in his face when he won. He has put the World Championship behind him. Rob will really struggle against Michael. Michael will be fully switched on from the get-go.
I can't see Rob getting a point. Michael wins 7-4.
Peter Wright vs Gerwyn Price
I like when Price is upsetting people, and getting stuck in. I like when he says: 'I don't care what anyone thinks'. That is a good attitude. Why should he care what his opponents think?
If Gerwyn can relax and play, he can upset anyone in this Premier League. The format is short enough to play into his hands, because he struggles in the longer formats.
Peter wins this match, because he's one of the players that can go on to win the title.
The 2018 Premier League gets underway from Dublin's 3Arena this Thursday night with coverage underway from 7pm on Sky Sports Action. 16 weeks of tungsten action will continue through to the season's conclusion with the Play-Offs on May 17 at The O2 in London.
Keep up to date with the latest darts news, previews, reports, reaction and expert analysis. Get all the latest at www.skysports.com/darts and join in the conversation @SkySportsDarts- don't forget to use #LoveTheDarts
