2020 Unibet Premier League Darts – Jonny Clayton vs Michael Smith Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Jonny Clayton vs Michael Smith taking place? Thursday 20th February, 2020 – evening (UK)
Where is Jonny Clayton vs Michael Smith taking place? Motorpoint Arena
What channel is Jonny Clayton vs Michael Smith on? Sky Sports Action
Where can I stream Jonny Clayton vs Michael Smith? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match via Sky Go
Where can I get tickets for Jonny Clayton vs Michael Smith? Click here to purchase tickets for the 2020 Premier League Darts
What was the score in the last meeting? Jonny Clayton beat Michael Smith 6-5
THE LOWDOWN
JONNY CLAYTON
- Welshman Jonny Clayton is taking to the Premier League stage in Cardiff as a ‘challenger’ and will be looking to put in a strong performance in front of a big Welsh crowd.
- Clayton showed what he is capable of when he started his 2020 season with a notable victory against Michael van Gerwen in the opening round at the Masters at the end of January – though he was then defeated by Aspinall in the next round.
- He ended a five-match losing streak against Michael Smith with a victory in their last encounter at the Players Championship finals in 2018.
MICHAEL SMITH
- Michael Smith squandered two match darts and a 6-2 lead against Gerwyn Price to end up with just a point from their encounter on night two in Nottingham. Smith was in sublime form for parts of the contest against Price, especially in the first eight legs where he took out two ten-dart legs, hit a 140 finish and averaged just over 114.
- His failure to get over the line against Price means that he is now without a win in his last ten Premier League matches – his last victory in the competition came at the end of last March.
- Smith’s best performance in the Players Championship tournaments last weekend was a run to the last 16 on Saturday where he lost to the eventual champion Ryan Searle, on Sunday he exited in round one against Darius Labanauskas.
THE PREDICTION
Michael Smith will be very frustrated at not winning last week against Gerwyn Price after being in such a strong position and playing so well but he can’t afford any kind of hangover from that match against the dangerous challenger Jonny Clayton who has proven capable of beating the best on the big stage. The streaky play of Smith does make this hard to call and although he is predicted to take the two points, it would really not be a surprise if Clayton held him to a draw. It may be more prudent to look at the total 180s market, with over 6.5 looking achievable in this contest.
