Is there any stopping Michael Van Gerwen?

After a record breaking performance against Michael Smith where Michael Van Gerwen averaged over 123, he then went on to win the UK open in style, hitting four 170 checkouts and the famous 9-darter in the process. So after beating Dave Chisnall with ease this week, he seems as near as a guarantee to make the top 4 as possible. It would take a miracle the scale of turning water into wine for him to miss out on a place at the O2 arena come May. But who will be joining him?

Phil Taylor

Currently in second place and on the back of a 7-0 destruction of Robert Thornton, The Power looks in good shape to make the top 4 yet again. He faces MVG next week and would certainly take a point against the best player on the planet at the moment. There were doubters after his World Championship performance earlier this year, myself included, but he is playing well and if he continues in this form, he should qualify with relative comfort.
Likelihood : 8/10

Adrian Lewis

The jackpot is a funny one, he has the potential to beat anybody on his day but sometimes stutters and puts on a dreadful performance. He has only made the top 4 on two previous occasions in his career; that is really poor considering how good a player Aidy is. After a decisive win over Peter Wright this week in Nottingham, he too looks in good shape, but don’t be surprised if he falls just short.
Likelihood : 7/10

Peter Wright

Snakebite will be concerned after picking up no points in the last 2 weeks. Admittedly, he has played two of the worlds best, and had the UK open final to deal with, but it is easy to question whether he can find his form again. If he can, he will be assured of a top 4 finish, although he does have a tough run of fixtures, and does have a few players breathing down his neck.
Likelihood 6/10

Gary Anderson

It has been a rocky road for the reigning champion. Starting the season with illness before 2 defeats has made the task of achieving a top 4 finish harder. However, if anyone has the potential to make ground on players above then it’s the Flying Scotsman. He may be outside the top 4, but if he can win those games in hand, he will be confident of making it on judgement night.
Likelihood 7/10

James Wade

It surprised me that he won this week against Barney, but this doesn’t change the fact that he has played too inconsistently. He beat MVG but looked appalling against Phil Taylor. His doubles have hurt his chances of a top 4 finish, especially with players such as Gary Anderson and Adrian Lewis coming into such form. He needs to win all his remaining matches to stand a chance.
Likelihood 4/10, of Relegation 1/10

Raymond Van Barneveld

If you were to ask me a few weeks ago, this score would have been a lot higher, but he hasn’t been getting the results. If anyone in the world can scrape a place in the top 4 it would be Barney, but it’s not looking good.
Likelihood 5/10, of Relegation 2/10

Dave Chisnall

It started so well, a whitewash 7-0 win against Robert Thornton had people thinking he would make the top 4. However, he hadn’t won since the opening night and has left that gap too big to come back from. He has too much to do.
Likelihood: 2/10, of Relegation 6/10

Michael Smith

Much the same as Chizzy, he has left himself too much to do. Still in the relegation places, having played a game more it isn’t possible for him to make the top 4. His focus will be avoiding relegation, and if he does so, he will consider that a success. He is starting to pick up points so that may happen.
Likelihood 0/10, of Relegation 8/10

Robert Thornton
Poor Robert Thornton. At least he has a point to his name. He will finish bottom, it’s a shame, but he is playing poorly, and illness didn’t help his momentum.
Likelihood 0/10 , of Relegation 9.99/10