MICHAEL VAN GERWEN will break Phil Taylor's record of 43 televised matches unbeaten should he avoid defeat in his opening Betway Premier League game in Manchester on Thursday.
Van Gerwen's victory over Taylor in last week's Premier League fixture in Rotterdam extended the Dutchman's unbeaten streak in televised games to 43 since losing to the Stoke legend in the Unibet Champions League of Darts final in September.
The world number one's amazing six months since has included him winning a second William Hill World Darts Championship title, while he is unbeaten after playing six Premier League games so far this season.
Having missed the visit to Exeter three week ago, Van Gerwen doubles up in Manchester to take on James Wade and Raymond van Barneveld, and can pass Taylor's 43-game record on in his opening game on the night.
Taylor's 43-game winning streak in televised matches spanned eight months from November 2004 to July 2005, when John Part defeated him in the World Matchplay quarter-finals.
Taylor was 44 games unbeaten in the opening three seasons of the Premier League before Wade took victory on the opening night of the 2008 campaign, while he held a 44-match unbeaten run in the World Championship from 1995-2003 - although both records were specific to that tournament only.
Phil Taylor - 43 Televised Games Unbeaten
November 2004 - 1x Head-To-Head Challenge with Andy Fordham
December 2004 - 4x Global Cup (China)
December 2004/January 2005 - 5x World Championship
February 2005 - 6x Masters of Darts
February-May 2005 - 14x Premier League
June 2005 - 6x UK Open
June/July 2005 - 5x Las Vegas Desert Classic
July 2005 - 2x World Matchplay
Michael van Gerwen - Currently 43 Televised Games Unbeaten
October 2016 - 5x World Grand Prix
October 2016 - 5x European Championship
November 2016 - 4x World Series of Darts Finals
November 2016 - 7x Grand Slam of Darts
November 2016 - 6x Players Championship Finals
December 2016/January 2017 - 6x World Championship
January 2017 - 4x The Masters
February/March 2017 - 6x Premier League