2020 Players Championship Finals schedule: Friday evening session, featuring Wright, Van Gerwen and Price

Some big names have a chance to rediscover their major form at the Players Championship Finals.

The likes of Jose de Sousa and Dimitri van den Bergh have been upsetting the odds, but Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price are among those looking to restore major form. There'll be a touch of De Sousa on the first the Players Championship Finals too.

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Nathan Aspinall saw off defending champion Gerwyn Price at the Grand Slam, but couldn't get further than the quarter-finals. Step one towards improving on that is beating debutant Scott Waites.

Gary Anderson, hopefully feeling a bit healthier than at the Grand Slam meets Keegan Brown. That's followed by James Wade taking on Niels Zonneveld as he bids to shake off the disappointment of missing out on the Grand Slam title.

There's a Suffolk derby after that. Mendham inhabitant Peter Wright plays Ipswich native Ryan Meikle, who has continued to improve and has a real shot at taking down the world champion here.

Defending champion Michael van Gerwen wants to go into the World Championship with another big trophy under his belt. He will first have to see off Darius Labanauskas - he at least has previous, beating the Lithuanian at the same stage of this year's European Championship.

Gerwyn Price came close to winning the Players Championship Finals last year. The second seed didn't do excellently at the Grand Slam, but with everything taken into account, he has to be a favourite here. The Iceman plays John Henderson, who's looking more trim than ever but has seen his form - and world ranking - slide.

Jose de Sousa has added his name to the pantheon of major champions. Now it's time to try and do it all over again. If the Special One has a chance, he'll first need to dismiss Mike De Decker.

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Stage Two sees an all-Dutch tie first of all, with Vincent van der Voort up against Derk Telnekes. Then there's a clash of styles as rapid Ricky Evans meets the metronomic Jamie Hughes.

Ross Smith and Kim Huybrechts both have the potential to suddenly explode into amazing form, so their game could be mediocre or could be the best of the lot. Damon Heta should bring top class darts regardless; he plays Maik Kuivenhoven, who will be in high spirits having seemingly saved his Tour Card.

We haven't seen the best of Steve Lennon this year. The Carlow thrower has a chance to do something about that, starting with a first round tie against Jermaine Wattimena. Speaking of turning form around, Chris Dobey plays Madars Razma with the aim of undoing a pretty disappointing season.

It's impossible to tell whether Glen Durrant will be ready for this after his COVID-enforced break. He certainly wasn't ready for the Grand Slam, but Wayne Jones will be preparing under the expectation that the Premier League champion will be right up for this.

Darren Webster gets a shot at the Players Championship Finals thanks to Mensur Suljovic's absence. While it's not the circumstances he'll have wanted to enter the tournament under, the Demolition Man needs to take this chance. If he wants to ask someone how to make the most of being an alternate, he can ask opponent Jeffrey de Zwaan.

Last up are Steve Beaton, who has never got past the quarter-finals in 12 attempts, and Danny Noppert, who reached the semi-finals on his first try in 2018.

Schedule 2020 Players Championship Finals

Friday November 27

First Round

Evening Session (1900 GMT)

Main Stage

19:10 Nathan Aspinall v Scott Waites

19:45 Gary Anderson v Keegan Brown

20:15 James Wade v Niels Zonneveld

20:45 Peter Wright v Ryan Meikle

21:15 Michael van Gerwen v Darius Labanauskas

21:45 Gerwyn Price v John Henderson

22:15 Jose De Sousa v Mike De Decker

Stage Two

19:05 Vincent van der Voort v Derk Telnekes

19:30 Ricky Evans v Jamie Hughes

19:55 Ross Smith v Kim Huybrechts

20:20 Damon Heta v Maik Kuivenhoven

20:45 Jermaine Wattimena v Steve Lennon

21:10 Madars Razma v Chris Dobey

21:35 Glen Durrant v Wayne Jones

22:00 Darren Webster v Jeffrey de Zwaan

22:25 Danny Noppert v Steve Beaton