Wayne Mardle previews Premier League Darts in Glasgow

Premier League Darts returns on Thursday night, live on Sky Sports Action, featuring the top-of-the-table clash between Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith. Wayne Mardle looks into his crystal ball...

The tournament's visit to Glasgow's SSE Hydro includes Scottish stars Gary Anderson and Peter Wright come up against Simon Whitlock and Raymond van Barneveld respectively.

Daryl Gurney takes on Mensur Suljovic and a resurgent Rob Cross plays Gerwyn Price in the other tie on the season's first of two visits to Scotland.

Live Premier League Darts

Wayne runs the rule over five titanic tungsten contests, live on Sky Sports Action from 7pm.

Daryl Gurney v Mensur Suljovic

Gurney keeps giving himself opportunities and I see this as one of those matches, I really do. He'll probably outscore Mensur to a point. I'm not saying he will dictate matters, but I think there will be a couple of legs where he will have more time at a double than normal. Mensur didn't struggle last week in Nottingham against Rob Cross, but he became beaten quite quickly. He could see that he was being outplayed and he didn't have much fight. He'll need to start better otherwise those evil little demons might creep into his head again.

I don't see Gurney losing this match. I think he probably wins it 7-5 or draws.

Michael van Gerwen v Michael Smith

Smith is not playing as well as Van Gerwen - that's fact - but what he is doing is winning games and proving hard to beat. This is going to be his toughest assignment yet. Van Gerwen is just different to the others - he's better. I don't want to see Smith act beaten because he knows he's not playing great, so to go up against Michael when you're not in full flow is difficult. With Smith's scoring nature, he's never out of a leg. He's always got that ability to rattle off four of five big trebles on the bounce and then hit the double.

I think Michael van Gerwen wins this match 7-4, but it will be interesting to see how Michael Smith deals with it. He is going to have to play better to get anything out of Van Gerwen. He doesn't want to be put down a peg. This is going to be a real quick game.

Gary Anderson v Simon Whitlock

Anderson's 27-match unbeaten run came to an end at the weekend and it's interesting with Gary because he has said "I've got away with it" and "I've not been playing well". I agree with him, I don't think he's played brilliant. He's got nothing from the games when he lost to Michael van Gerwen and drew with Peter Wright - those were the times when he really has played well. But he's proving hard to beat. Whitlock played really well last week against Daryl Gurney. His doubling was good and his scoring was good.

I think this is another tough game to call. I know Gary Anderson is a massive odds-on favourite, but I just like how Simon's belief is there. I'm going to plonk for a 6-6 draw.

Peter Wright v Raymond van Barneveld

I was worried about Peter Wright last week. His wife told me that he had a shoulder injury. He played at the weekend and his performances were a bit mixed. I'm not sure if he's still in pain or if he's just playing badly. If he has got an injury then he won't beat Raymond van Barneveld. Barney has been working hard at his game and seemed confident against Gary Anderson last week. He had five darts to win, but he blew it. I spoke to him after and he said he felt fine about it. He was a little disappointed but it wasn't a defeat. That tells you a bit about Raymond's mind right now.

I think Barney will be far too consistent for Peter Wright because Peter's own consistency just isn't there. Whether it's injury or confidence, I'm not too sure. He's at odds with himself. Barney will win this one 7-5 - a last-leg thriller.

Rob Cross v Gerwyn Price

I'm concerned for Price. I sent him a little friendly message, saying 'head up, pal'. When you're not winning in the Premier League I know how difficult it is. I was in it four years and struggled four times. Even when I did alright, I was still struggling. You've got to keep at it and keep upbeat because it's one event - it just lasts forever and that's the problem. Cross is playing like a world champion. He's just one of these players who knows how good he is and I thought his match against Mensur Suljovic last week said a lot about him. He really was relentless. His finishing was great and his set-up play from the last 200 was some of the best we've seen this year and maybe any year.

If Gerwyn Price plays at his very best he still may get nothing out of this game. The world champion is laying down a marker to everyone saying 'I'll be there at the end'. Cross to win this one 7-4.

Wayne Mardle was speaking to Sky Sports' Raz Mirza. The 2018 Premier League heads to the SSE Hydro in Glasgow on Thursday with coverage underway from 7pm on Sky Sports Action & Sky Sports Main Event. Eight weeks of tungsten action will then continue through to the season's conclusion with the Play-Offs on May 17 at The O2 in London.

Darts updates straight to your phone

How to receive all the latest darts news straight to your mobile

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