Premier League Darts 2016: Date, TV Schedule, Live Stream Info for Nottingham
Michael van Gerwen will look to extend his lead at the summit of the Premier League Darts 2016 standings on Thursday as the competition makes its way to Nottingham's Motorpoint Arena.
The Dutchman returns to Premier League action having just defeated Peter Wright for the second year in succession to claim back-to-back UK Open titles and deliver a major confidence boost for this week's proceedings.
Phil Taylor is currently level on points with Van Gerwen in the Premier League Darts standings, and he faces what could be a routine encounter with bottom-placed Robert Thornton on Thursday.
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The same can't be said of Wright or Adrian Lewis, however, as the respective third and fourth-placed contenders prepare to go head-to-head in Nottingham in a bid to move up the order.
Read on as we provide all the essential viewing information for Thursday's slate, complete with schedule and preview of which matches to keep one's eye on.
| Michael Smith | vs. | Gary Anderson |
| Peter Wright | vs. | Adrian Lewis |
| Raymond van Barneveld | vs. | James Wade |
| Robert Thonton | vs. | Phil Taylor |
| Dave Chisnall | vs. | Michael van Gerwen |
| 1 | Michael van Gerwen | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 8 |
| 2 | Phil Taylor | 5 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 8 |
| 3 | Peter Wright | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 7 |
| 4 | Adrian Lewis | 5 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| 5 | James Wade | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | -2 | 6 |
| 6 | Gary Anderson | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 7 | Raymond van Barneveld | 5 | 2 | 0 | 3 | -1 | 4 |
| 8 | Dave Chisnall | 5 | 1 | 1 | 3 | -1 | 3 |
| 9 | Michael Smith | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -18 | 3 |
| 10 | Robert Thornton | 4 | 0 | 1 | 3 | -12 | 1 |
All of Thursday's matches will be broadcast on Sky Sports One, with live streams available via the Sky Go app and LivePDC.tv. The broadcast is scheduled to start at 7 p.m. GMT.
Bottom-Place Thornton on Taylor's Radar
The current joint-leader of the Premier League Darts campaign wasn't up to scratch at last weekend's UK Open, but Taylor can go a long way to making up for that near miss with a win over Thornton on Thursday.
While The Power has lost just once in his four Premier League outings this term, Thornton is yet to get off the mark, and a 6-6 draw against compatriot Wright in Round 4 is all he has to show for his troubles.
Taylor was sent out of the UK Open running at the semi-final stage by eventual champion Van Gerwen, but the Stoke-on-Trent native was humble in defeat:
As things stand, Taylor sits second to Van Gerwen in the table based solely off leg difference, with both players having clinched four wins and just one defeat so far.
With that in mind, the six-time Premier League Darts champion could do with humiliating a vulnerable Thornton in order to boost his differential and potentially leapfrog Van Gerwen into first place.
Lewis and Wright Primed for Make-Or-Break Matchup
Another big name who was disappointed at the UK Open last week was Lewis, who heads into a crucial clash opposite Wright this Thursday looking to make up for lost time.
Jackpot's run at the UK Open was disappointing, but as sorry as his fifth-round exit at the hands of Jelle Klaasen might have been, he showed strong resolve after taking his leave:
He'll need that kind of maturity, too, going up against a player of Wright's calibre, one whom fellow pro Ian White said has big things to look forward to in the future after he lost out in the UK Open finale:
Wright, third, and Lewis, fourth, are separated by just a point as things stand, and the Scot will be hoping to right the wrongs of an 11-6 loss to Van Gerwen by moving clear of Jackpot in the Premier League hierarchy.
The pair are agonisingly close in all regards as far as the standings go, but Thursday's battle could go a long way in deciding whose title hopes endure for the remainder of the season.
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