Barney Army unlikely to be disappointed

Week five
Sky Sports 1, 7pm

Chisnall v Van Barneveld
Head-to-head: Barney leads 11-5
The Barney Army will be in full voice in the wild west to see their Dutch hero ride off into the sunset with two more precious Betway Premier League points.

The five-time world champ has been in great form and ought to have too much for the struggling Dave Chisnall, who may not appreciate playing twice on the same bill.

Chizzy, who also plays James Wade later because of Michael van Gerwen’s withdrawal, is bottom of the table and far too erratic. He’s whacked in 13 maximums and three of his 15 winning legs have been secured with massive ton-plus finishes; yet he’s had 14 fewer ton-plus scores than anyone else which hints at too many poor visits.

In Players Championship action at the weekend Chisnall suffered dispiriting defeats at the hands of Steve West and Antonio Alcinas, players he would ordinarily demolish. Confidence is low and Van Barneveld can exploit that.

Recommendation
R van Barneveld
2pts 24-23 188Bet

Klaasen v Huybrechts
Klaasen leads 4-1
Under enormous pressure after losing his first three matches – albeit against the world’s top three – Jelle Klaasen showed his mettle by breezing past Chisnall.

The former Lakeside champion was telling anyone who listened that he was playing well having adjusted to darts he’d changed barely a month earlier, and his 7-3 hammering of Chizzy was proof of that.

His finishing was exemplary last week – the Dutchman connected with seven of 15 in the outer ring – and that should give him an edge against a player who cannot buy a win. Huybrechts has not won any of his last eight in the competition.

Recommendation
J Klaasen
2pts 13-10 general

Phil Taylor is a long way from his old selfCredit: Lawrence Lustig/PDC

Anderson v Taylor
Taylor leads 38-15
The form book suggests Phil Taylor should not be unbeaten heading to the Westpoint Arena but it demonstrates that not only is he a proven match-player, but he still boasts a sizeable aura.

Kim Huybrechts is the latest to bottle it against The Power in sight of the winning line so Taylor has six points from four outings – without playing well.

Because of that, and his excellent record against Gary Anderson, it’s hard to summon up much enthusiasm for the Scot. He looked ordinary against Wade last week and the presence of Taylor at the oche applies a different level of pressure.

What is for certain is that Taylor is a long way from his old self. He’s yet to average over 96.5, has hit the fewest 180s and is missing more doubles than ever. That combination is going to make it hard for him to clear the 99.5 average line that Paddy Power have him in for.

Recommendation
P Taylor under 99.5 average
1pt 5-6 Paddy Power

Lewis v Wright
Lewis leads 17-11
Peter Wright has won both meetings against Adrian Lewis this year and is 5-4 to complete the hat-trick this evening.

Ordinarily that would be tempting but Jackpot came to the party last week with an inspired effort to take a point off Van Gerwen. It showed what Lewis is capable of and why he’s a difficult man to ignore.

He won’t overpower Wright, however. The Scot is far too strong so this may be a close call.

Snakebite hit a 109 average against Gary Anderson but hasn’t got anywhere near three figures in his other matches and he might not tonight either.

Recommendation
P Wright under 100.5 average
2pts 5-6 Paddy Power

Chisnall v Wade
Wade leads 11-8
Chizzy’s second game pits him against Wade and punters may prefer to take a view after his earlier showing.

What we do know is that he has won his last two against Wade although Wade is playing better in this tournament.