Can Clayton defend his PL title?

Clear the curtain for the Darts Premier League Play-offs in Berlin! The elite of the PDC – or at least the best players of this years Premier League – will meet in the German capital in the final tournament. In the middle will be reigning champion Jonny Clayton who already won the Premier League of the PDC last season.

In the semi-finals of the play-offs Clayton will meet the world number twelve Joe Cullen. According to the best bookmakers Clayton is the favourite for the semi-final against Cullen. The last time the two players met just under a month ago, Clayton prevailed 6-4 in the Premier League semi-finals in Newcastle.

For Clayton, it was his first win over Cullen since April 2022. Previously, Clayton had lost two matches in a row to Cullen. Bettors who want to bet on Clayton to lose again this time can pick up odds of 2.75 on the underdog to win at Clayton vs Cullen for Tip 2.

Joe Cullen finished the Premier League in fourth place. The Englishman won two of the 16 fixtures played as a mini-tournament between the eight PL players. The last time was in May 2022, where Cullen beat Clayton in the final – a good omen ahead of the upcoming match?

Jonny Clayton – Statistics & current form

At the US Masters last week, Jonny Clayton failed to beat Gerwyn Price and was eliminated in the quarter-finals of the prestigious tournament. He now has the chance to make amends in the final tournament of the Premier League. So far “The Ferret” was the best player in this year’s Premier League. As defending champion, the Welshman thus underlined his championship ambitions.

Clayton played a total of 36 matches on 16 match days. With a record of 24-12 the Welshman not only had the best record but also one of the best averages with a scoring of 97.98. Among the three other Premier League finalists only Michael van Gerwen has a better scoring (average of 99.20) than Jonny Clayton.

If he can keep up his form in the Premier League in the final tournament Jonny Clayton should have no problems in the final tournament in Berlin. The match against Cullen is in a way a compulsory task for the Welshman. Clayton has already won four of his six matches against Cullen this calendar year.

Will Clayton win the best-of-19 against Cullen?

The last time the two top players met was on Matchday 16 of the Premier League. Then Clayton won 6:4 against Cullen in the best-of-11 and had a sensational average of 96,14. Over ten legs Clayton not only threw four times the 180 but also had a solid checkout rate of 46,15%.

Clayton hit six of his 13 checkouts, including a checkout of 120, and if the Welshman can build on that strong performance, a win on Monday night is a distinct possibility. Bettors who back the Welshman on Clayton vs Cullen can pick up odds of up to 1.44 in the event of a win.

Joe Cullen – Statistics & Current Form

Joe Cullen has had a mixed year so far. The Englishman had disappointed at the last World Championships, but “The Rockstar” caused a sensation in the following Masters and won the prestigious title for the first time in his career. Since then, Cullen has had to deal with a number of setbacks.

In the Premier League, which was played in a mini-tournament format on each match day this year, Cullen played 28 matches on a total of 18 match days, of which “The Rockstar” won 14. 14 matches, on the other hand, were lost. Over the 28 matches Cullen had a Premier League average of 92.14 with a checkout rate of 38%.

Cullen won two of a total of 18 PL tournaments. But “The Rockstar” twice failed in the final of a PL tournament. Eight times, on the other hand, Cullen was already eliminated in the quarter-finals, the tournament opener of the PL matchday. In the Premier League Cullen already met Jonny Clayton six times this calendar year.

Will Cullen cause a surprise in the PL final?

Cullen has won two out of six matches against Clayton this year. Because the direct comparison between the two players has been even so far, bets on the supposed underdog from England are definitely worthwhile. In case of success for “The Rockstar”, odds of 2.75 for tip 2 are paid out for Clayton vs. Cullen.

In contrast to Clayton, who gained some match practice during the US Masters, Joe Cullen played his last match on the European Tour in May 2022. Since then, Cullen has not played a single match. If you take a look at the recent form curve, betting on a surprise coup by Cullen on Monday evening is risky.

“The Rockstar” has lost three of his last four matches after all, including one against Monday’s opponent Jonny Clayton. In his latest loss to Simon Whitlock, Cullen squandered an interim 5-3 lead in the best-of-11 and ultimately lost the match 6-5.

Clayton – Cullen Direct comparison / H2H

The direct comparison between Jonny Clayton and Joe Cullen is even so far. Both players could win six matches each. Four of the six wins have come in this calendar year where “The Ferret” has a 4-2 record against Cullen with a leg ratio of 31:23.

Jonny Clayton – Joe Cullen Tip

Jonny Clayton already won the Premier League last year and as defending champion he is one of the big favourites for the PL title again this year. This season the Welshman already prevailed in four of 18 mini tournaments in the Premier League and was thus the best player in the ranking.

Semi-final opponent Joe Cullen, on the other hand, only made it into the decisive play-offs on the last two match days. Of immense importance was the tournament victory on the 15th matchday, in which Cullen won the final against Jonny Clayton. For Cullen it was only the second tournament success.

Jonny Clayton is on the fast track at the moment and on course to defend his PDC Premier League title. The Welshman was till now the strongest player in the Premier League and won four of 16 mini tournaments. So in the final tournament in Berlin a title coup of Jonny “The Ferret” Clayton can’t be excluded