2018 Unibet Premier League Darts – Rob Cross vs Gerwyn Price Preview

AT A GLANCE

When? Thursday 22^nd March

Where? The SSE Hydro, Glasgow

What channel is it on? Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Action

Where can I stream the match? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via Sky Go

Are tickets still available? www.thessehydro.com

THE STATISTICS

THE LOWDOWN

CAREER HEAD-TO-HEAD
Rob Cross 1-1 Gerwyn Price

ROB CROSS

• Rob Cross has shot up the Premier League table in recent weeks courtesy of four consecutive wins. He is now in third place and putting pressure on the two players ahead of him. Last week he had his best win of the Premier League season when he demolished Mensur Suljovic 7-1.
• His all-round performance against Suljovic was by far his finest so far in the tournament. He averaged well over 100 all through the match and his match average at the end of the game was 106.49 – his first ton plus average in the Premier League.
• A big factor in the much-improved Premier League form of Cross has been the quality of his finishing. His combined checkout percentage over his last three matches is 68% compared to the opening three matches where his checkout percentage was just 27%.

GERWYN PRICE

• Gerwyn Price is two points adrift at the foot of the table with only two points to show from six matches and he is still seeking his first win in the tournament. Last week he was well beaten by Michael van Gerwen, having missed a dart at double 12 to break the Van Gerwen throw and lead 3-1 he went on to lose 7-3.
• Price has still yet to have a match average of over 94 during this year’s Premier League and his tournament average of 92.03 is the lowest in the competition.
• Last weekend he suffered shock round one defeats in both of the Players Championship tournaments, losing against Michael Mansell on Saturday and Josh Payne on Sunday.

THE PREDICTION

Rob Cross was in scintillating form last Thursday night in Nottingham, looking very much like the player that won the World Championship and there is no doubt he is a true contender for the Premier League title. The Premier League campaign has been a real uphill struggle for Gerwyn Price and the odds are really stacked against him avoiding elimination. It is difficult to make a case for the Welshman breaking his winless run against Cross and all signs point to Voltage making it five Premier League wins in a row with victory in this encounter.