DOUBLE world champion Gary Anderson is relishing his return to the BIC and insists the atmosphere rivals any venue on the Premier League circuit.

The cream of the Professional Darts Corporation will descend upon Bournemouth tonight for the latest round of the £725,000 tournament, which is fast-approaching its play-off stage.

Anderson, nicknamed The Flying Scotsman, currently occupies the fourth and final play-off spot ahead of his crunch clash with James Wade, who is a single place below him in the standings.

And while Anderson cannot guarantee how the head-to-head will unfold, he is certain it will be played out in front of a cauldron of noise.

He told the Daily Echo: "Bournemouth is probably one of the smallest venues on the circuit but it's good when it's like that because everybody is packed in and it's a great atmosphere.

"It's always loud in the BIC and the crowd is very close to you. At some of the Premier League venues, there are 10,000-plus people there and it seems so big.

"But there is a good feeling about it when you are surrounded by fans and everything is a bit tighter. Bournemouth is one of the good ones and I'm really looking forward to it."

Reflecting on his meeting with Wade, who won the Premier League crown in 2009, Anderson insisted he would have to be at the top of his game in order to take maximum points.

Wade has won just one of his past four Premier League matches but Anderson said: "James is a classy player and has been for decades. He's one of those players who you have to take your chances against because if you slip up and give him a shot, he will punish you.

"He is well-known for that so the idea is not to give him any chances.

"Hopefully, I can get some points on Thursday. It's getting tight in the table but I am one of the few players left who have a game in hand.

"If I can keep up there then, hopefully, I won't need it."

The Premier League, in its 12th season, is played across 16 successive Thursday nights from February until May.

The opening nine weeks saw players face each other once, with Dave Chisnall and Michael Smith eliminated following Judgement Night in week nine.

Sixteen-time world champion Phil Taylor leads the standings with 2016 Masters winner Michael van Gerwen just behind him.

Adrian Lewis, who hit a nine-darter last week in Belfast, is third.

The event is due to begin at 7pm and those without tickets can watch live on Sky Sports.

All league games are played over the best of 12 legs, with two points awarded for a win and one for a draw.

Fixtures: Michael van Gerwen v Peter Wright, Raymond van Barneveld v Adrian Lewis, Gary Anderson v James Wade, Phil Taylor v Robert Thornton, Adrian Lewis v Michael van Gerwen.

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