Taylor and Barney Renew Rivalries

Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor takes on Raymond van Barneveld at the Westpoint Arena, Exeter in the Premier League of darts this Thursday evening.

Taylor and Barney are locked on four points from their first three Premier League games having both lost their opening fixture then improved dramatically to record back-to-back wins in weeks two and three.

The pair have one of the greatest and longest standing rivalries in darts and the 2007 PDC World Championships final, which the Dutchman edged 7-6, is widely considered the greatest darts match in history.

Van Barneveld has struggled with his form over the past 18 months and has failed to threaten the top players in major tournaments throughout that period. However, the five-time World Champion has looked close to his best in the last two weeks of Premier League action and could be a match for Taylor this week.

The Power, though, is also edging back towards the top of his game and after obliterating Terry Jenkins 8-2 last week vowed to step up his practice regime ahead of this crunch match against his old foe.

"I'll be using the rest of the year to get ready for the World Championship but retaining the Premier League trophy is the first goal and I'm up for the challenge,” said Taylor

"Barney's on a high and so am I at the moment and it will be a brilliant match next week."

The bookmakers have Taylor as the 4/9 favourite to continue his recent dominance over the Dutchman while it is 4/1 that Barney rolls back the years with a win and 9/2 that they share the points.

While the two giants of the last decade of darts slog it out to regain previous glories Gary Anderson is looking to assert himself as the new force in the game.

The Scot currently tops the Premier League with three wins from three fixtures and takes on James Wade this Thursday hoping to take his Premier League points tally to 8.

Anderson has been in imperious form so far this season and unless Wade can rediscover his darts of week two he could end the evening empty handed.

Betting odds of 8/13 suggest a relatively comfortable victory for Anderson while Wade is 10/3 to get his second win of the league on the board and it is 9/2 that the game ends level.