The Premier League draws to a conclusion in Milton Keynes on Friday evening, with four contenders in the running to be crowned the 2021 champion.
Michael van Gerwen, Jose de Sousa and Nathan Aspinall went into the final round of fixtures on Thursday safe in the knowledge that they were guaranteed a spot in the semi-finals.
Dimitri Van den Bergh and Jonny Clayton met on night 16 at Marshall Arena with the winner set to join that trio in the final stage.
Clayton, who started the evening in the driving seat, claimed an 8-6 victory, averaging 103.92 to cement his place in the top four and subsequently secure a semi-final berth.
Van Gerwen goes up against the Welshman to kick off proceedings on Finals Night, before De Sousa and Aspinall meet.
Dutchman Targets Taylor’s Record
Michael van Gerwen is the 5/4 favourite to win the competition and victory would see him match Phil Taylor’s record of six Premier League title triumphs.
The Dutchman first went all the way in 2013, beating Taylor in the final, and he won four in a row between 2016 and 2019.
Debutant Glen Durrant came out on top last season by beating Aspinall, who can be backed at 4/1, 11-8 in the final.
Debutants De Sousa, 11/4 to win outright, and Clayton, available at 4/1, have both already defied the odds to reach the play-offs and they face difficult tasks in trying to get through their semi-final ties.
Clayton Can Test Favourite
Clayton’s route to the play-offs has been anything but smooth and successive defeats against De Sousa and Peter Wright earlier in the week made for a tense finish.
The Ferret managed to collect himself to bounce back against Van den Bergh and now has his sights set on the scalp of Van Gerwen.
Clayton is 31/20 to come out on top with Van Gerwen, who won their most recent meeting, priced at 8/15.
Van Gerwen may have come out on top when they clashed on Night 11, however, it was Clayton who prevailed when they met at the oche on Night 9.
The Welshman can take confidence from his recent record against Van Gerwen, having won three of their last four encounters.
De Sousa Holds the Edge
De Sousa and Aspinall are set to go head-to-head for the second night in succession after an extraordinary meeting on Thursday.
The Portuguese put in a statement performance to beat Aspinall 8-2 and he should have the mental edge going into the semi-final tie.
De Sousa, making his debut in the competition, can be backed at 5/8 to win Friday’s match, while 2020 runner-up Aspinall is priced at 27/20.
*All odds correct at time of writing
