2020 Unibet Premier League Darts – William O’Connor vs Michael van Gerwen Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is William O’Connor vs Michael van Gerwen taking place? Thursday 27th February, 2020 – evening (UK)
Where is William O’Connor vs Michael van Gerwen taking place? 3Arena
What channel is William O’Connor vs Michael van Gerwen on? Sky Sports Action
Where can I stream William O’Connor vs Michael van Gerwen ? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match via Sky Go
Where can I get tickets for William O’Connor vs Michael van Gerwen ? Click here to purchase tickets for the 2020 Premier League Darts
What was the score in the last meeting? Michael van Gerwen beat William O’Connor 6-2
THE LOWDOWN
WILLIAM O’CONNOR
- William O’Connor is the ‘challenger’ on night four and will be taking to the Premier League stage in his home country against the reigning Premier League champion Michael van Gerwen.
- O’Connor enjoyed some career landmarks in 2019; he won his first title on the PDC tour in April, partnered Steve Lennon to the World Cup final in June and then reached his first major singles TV tournament quarter-final at the Players Championship Finals in November.
- At Players Championship 5 on Saturday he enjoyed his best run in a ranking tournament this season when he reached the quarter-finals. Aside from that though, he has not been further than round two in the other five tournaments he has played in 2020.
MICHAEL VAN GERWEN
- Michael van Gerwen lost his 100% winning record in the 2020 Premier League in Cardiff last Thursday when he was beaten 7-5 by Nathan Aspinall. Van Gerwen came back from 4-2 down to lead 5-4 only for Aspinall to win the final three legs of the match.
- Although Aspinall played well and took his chances, Van Gerwen’s own performance was lower than in the previous two weeks, as shown in his match average of 97.61 being much lower than his tournament average of 104.51 going into the contest.
- Van Gerwen came up just short in his bid to win his first tournament of 2020 when he lost in a last-leg decider to Gerwyn Price in the final at Players Championship 6 on Sunday. The previous day he exited Players Championship 5 surprisingly against Christian Bunse in the last 32.
THE PREDICTION
Michael van Gerwen was very disappointed after losing last week and he will be determined to bounce back with a strong showing in Dublin. William O’Connor will enjoy plenty of support from the home crowd and he is capable of pushing Van Gerwen hard, but this match is probably all about how well Van Gerwen plays. Expect O’Connor to make things interesting early on but for Van Gerwen to step it up pull away to victory.
