Wayne Mardle thinks one of the four Premier League semi-finalists could lift the trophy without playing well.
The stage is set for next week’s final at the O2 Arena in London.
Last night, Michael Smith joined Luke Humphries, Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen in the finals night.
The St Helens native needed to better Nathan Aspinall in Sheffield and ended up winning the tournament.
Now, he has a crack at the prize and will face Littler in the semi-finals when darts takes over the capital next week.
Mardle has been weighing up the chances of the final four and he thinks one man could win it without playing well.
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Wayne Mardle makes Michael Smith claim ahead of Premier League finals night
Mardle is the voice of darts on Sky Sports and he’s one of the better pundits when it comes to their coverage.
He’s a former professional himself and he’s been delivering his verdict on the chances of the four players.
Smith sneaked in through the back door during the final round of league matches.
Mardle thinks that the 2023 World Champion could win his first Premier League title without really getting out of second gear.
He told Sky Sports: “Michael Smith can win when he’s not playing well and when he plays well he can beat anyone, they can all beat anyone, that’s why next week there is jeopardy everywhere.”
Smith could cause a shock at Premier League finals night
The 33-year-old has got a taste for finals night at the Premier League and reached the final in 2018 before losing to Michael van Gerwen.
Smith was beaten 11-4 by the Dutchman on that occasion and he might get a crack at revenge next week.
The Bully Boy has really kicked on since becoming World Champion for the first time in 2023.
He had so often been the bridesmaid when it came to the big finals and lost eight times in big events before finally getting over the line.
Mardle does make a point that he can win when not playing well but this event is different to the others.
The final four are all players who are world-class on their day and Smith might have to crank things up a bit.
However, he did warm up in true style last night and that should bode well for him next week in London.