Peter Wright hopes a return to home soil can ignite his Cazoo Premier League campaign, as the Scot prepares to headline Night Three in Glasgow on Thursday.
Wright will take on Dimitri Van den Bergh in his quarter-final tie at the OVO Hydro on Thursday, with the winner set to take on Nathan Aspinall or Michael van Gerwen in the semi-finals.
Two-time World Champion Wright is yet to open his Premier League account in 2023, after suffering quarter-final defeats to Chris Dobey and Nathan Aspinall in Belfast and Cardiff respectively.
The 52-year-old will be flying the flag for Scottish darts in the absence of two-time winner Gary Anderson, and is relishing the opportunity to star in front of a sell-out crowd in Glasgow.
“I am hoping the crowd will inspire me to play magic darts, which I’ve done before when I played Adrian Lewis in Glasgow. If I can do that again, I’ll be happy!” admitted Wright, a Premier League runner-up in 2017.
“Dimi is a great dart player. It’s going to be a tough game and obviously, I haven’t won yet, so it’s about getting that confidence back.
“I’ve got another 14 weeks to go so I’m not worried. I’m planning to win at least five nights, so it would be a great start to do it in Glasgow.
“It’s going to be strange not having Gary there. The crowd are always behind Gary, but he’s working hard on his game and hopefully he’ll be back up those rankings and back in the Premier League next year.”
Elsewhere, Gerwyn Price will play World Champion Michael Smith in a blockbuster quarter-final showdown, with the Welshman bidding to win in back-to-back weeks following his Night Two success in Cardiff.
Price raised the roof at the Cardiff International Arena last Thursday, defeating Dobey, Michael van Gerwen and Aspinall to triumph on home soil.
“Cardiff definitely came at a good time for me,” said Price, who succumbed to Aspinall in his Night One opener in Belfast.
“I’m happy I won last week but I was quite fortunate. I know I’m not playing well at the moment, but give me a couple of weeks and I believe I’ll be back to my best.
“I’m looking forward to Glasgow. I’ve played there a couple of times and it’s always a great atmosphere.
“The Premier League is tough, but I will keep battling, and I know if I play my A-game I can beat absolutely anyone.”
Meanwhile, Price’s compatriot Jonny Clayton is aiming to kick-start his campaign in the Scottish capital, following quarter-final exits on the opening two nights.
Clayton, the Premier League champion in 2021, also topped last year’s league phase, although he’s struggled to hit the heights in the early stages of this year’s roadshow.
The 48-year-old was beaten by Van den Bergh on Night One despite posting a ton-plus average, before his hopes of a dream homecoming in Cardiff were dashed by Smith.
“I was so desperate to do well in Cardiff, but it just didn’t happen,” conceded Clayton, who takes on Night One champion Chris Dobey in Thursday’s fourth quarter-final tussle.
“When you get chances you need to take them and I didn’t take them against Dimitri or Michael, so I need to put that right against Chris.
“I know I’m good enough. It’s just a shaky start, so hopefully I can put things right, starting in Glasgow.
“There is no need to panic, if you get a few wins you’re back in the game. I won four nights last year, so there is no reason why I can’t do it this year.”
Thursday’s opening last eight clash will see Night Two runner-up Aspinall take on reigning champion Van Gerwen, in a repeat of October’s World Grand Prix final.
The pair are locked on five points alongside league leaders Dobey and Price, while Van den Bergh and Smith are on two points apiece, ahead of Wright and Clayton.
The 2023 Cazoo Premier League will be broadcast live on Sky Sports in the UK & Ireland, through the PDC’s worldwide broadcast partners including DAZN, Viaplay and VTM, and on PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers.
2023 Cazoo Premier League
Night Three – Thursday February 16
OVO Hydro, Glasgow
Quarter-Finals
Nathan Aspinall v Michael van Gerwen
Peter Wright v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Gerwyn Price v Michael Smith
Jonny Clayton v Chris Dobey
Semi-Finals
Aspinall/Van Gerwen v Wright/Van den Bergh
Price/Smith v Clayton/Dobey
Final
v
All matches best of 11 legs
—–ENDS—–
Images: Kieran Cleeves/PDC
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