2019 Unibet Premier League Darts – Rob Cross vs James Wade Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Rob Cross vs James Wade taking place? Thursday 23rd May – 19:00 (UK)
Where is Rob Cross vs James Wade taking place? The O2, London
What channel is Rob Cross vs James Wade on? Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports Action
Where can I stream Rob Cross vs James Wade? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match via Sky Go
Where can I get tickets for Rob Cross vs James Wade? https://www.pdc.tv/unibet-premier-league-tickets
THE LOWDOWN
HEAD-TO-HEAD
All-time meetings: Rob Cross 6-6 James Wade
Previous meeting: James Wade 8-6 Rob Cross
ROB CROSS
- Rob Cross finished second in the league table, having come up just short in his bid to end Michael van Gerwen’s dominant table-topping streak. A win against James Wade in his last match would have seen Cross finish top, but an 8-6 defeat meant he had to settle for second place.
- This is his second appearance in the Premier League play-offs. Last season on his debut he lost 10-6 to Michael van Gerwen at this stage of the tournament having finished fourth during the league phase.
- Cross has a tournament average of 99.48, which is only bettered by Michael van Gerwen. Voltage has recorded a ton-plus average in ten of his 16 matches during the campaign.
JAMES WADE
- James Wade enters the play-offs having finished third in the table. The Machine lost only one of his last ten league phase matches, and overall, he was defeated only three times in 16 league matches.
- Wade won the Premier League title in 2010 and has reached the final on two other occasions. This is his sixth appearance in the Premier League play-offs and his first since 2013. His last two semi-final appearances (2012 and 2013) ended in defeats against Phil Taylor and Michael van Gerwen.
- Clinical finishing at the right time was a key factor in Wade’s impressive form during the league phase; he had a total of 16 ton-plus checkouts which is the highest total of any player in the competition.
THE PREDICTION
Rob Cross and James Wade both enjoyed excellent league campaigns with impressive performances in the majority of their matches. They face each other again having only met a week ago on the final night of the league phase when Wade won 8-6 to deny Cross top spot in the league table. The head-to-head record between the pair couldn’t be closer with six wins each from their previous 12 encounters and this match looks set to be a very competitive affair. It really is a difficult match to call and it would be no surprise to see it go all the way to a last-leg decider. Rob Cross starts as the favourite but James Wade’s Premier League pedigree and experience cannot be ignored, so the 2010 Premier League champion is predicted to edge out the 2018 World Champion in a high-quality tussle.
