RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD is seeking his first win over Phil Taylor for over 18 months when the pair meet in the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts on Thursday.
The Dutchman has lost all nine meetings with Taylor since taking a 10-9 win in the 2008 UK Open, but gets a chance to end that run at the Westpoint Arena in Exeter.
However, van Barneveld admits that he will have to raise his game against his unbeaten rival if he is to claim a second Premier League win of the season.
"It's always great to play against Phil," van Barneveld told 'Sportslive' Internet Radio. "I've not beaten him for [over] a year now so it could be a nice evening to beat him for a change.
"I think I can do it, but nowadays you have to average 103 or more to stop him, and that's not easy.
"When he beat me 7-1 in the World Championship final last year, I was averaging 103 and he averaged 111. He is an incredible player, and to beat him everything has to be right.
"I've been averaging between 92-99 for the last few weeks but my opponents have played fantastic darts.
"In the first week I got my first two points, against James Wade, but in the second week Adrian Lewis played brilliantly with a 105 average and last week Simon Whitlock hit eight out of nine attempts on a double.
"You need to play well and finish well to beat me, and so far that's what they are doing. There's a time that I'll come into form and get some points."
The opening weeks of the Premier League have also seen van Barneveld continue to experiment with different shaped flights on his darts in a bid to regain top form.
"Backstage I'm hitting 140s and 180s but when I get on stage it's not happening, so I've been changing my flights and my darts and I hope I'll find a good grip to do well in the next few weeks," he added.
"If you want to try something out then why not in the Premier League, because you have 14 matches and none of them are knock-out.
"I think I'm good enough to reach the top four in the competition and qualify for the play-offs."
A number of tickets for Thursday's Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts at the Westpoint Arena remain on sale, priced at £20 and available on 0844 99 99 55 or from www.ticketzone.co.uk.
Fans outside of the UK and Ireland can watch the Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts LIVE online in PDCtv - click here for more information
Whyte & Mackay Premier League Darts
Week Four - Westpoint Arena, Exeter
James Wade v Adrian Lewis
Ronnie Baxter v Simon Whitlock
Mervyn King v Terry Jenkins
Raymond van Barneveld v Phil Taylor
Tickets: 0844 99 99 55 or www.ticketzone.co.uk