ADRIAN Lewis is gearing himself up for a huge weekend in the south-west as he continues his Betway Premier League challenge in Exeter, while in-form Dave Chisnall challenges World Champion Gary Anderson on Thursday night.

The Stoke star will face Stephen Bunting at a sold-out Westpoint Arena as he seeks his second win of the Premier League season in a huge game for both players before they head to Minehead for the Coral UK Open.

Bunting has picked up just one point so far in his debut season and has lost his last three games, while Lewis has had to settle for a draw against Kim Huybrechts and Michael van Gerwen in the past fortnight.

Lewis knows that a defeat could see him sucked into the battle to avoid elimination on Judgement Night following week night, and he is determined to overturn the former Lakeside Champion.

"It's a tough tournament and I've probably cost myself points in the last two weeks, but I'm looking forward to playing Stephen now because you can't dwell on things in the Premier League," said Lewis, who will then defend his UK Open title from Friday-Sunday.

"Stephen's trying to find his feet in the Premier League but it's a marathon, not a sprint and you've got to keep going. It's going to be a tough game and it's a massive weekend for me.

"I'm happy with my form but I've started to slow down a bit on my doubles and that's affected my scoring as well, and I've got to get the right balance."

Thursday's Premier League in Exeter also sees in-form Dave Chisnall, the joint league leader alongside Michael van Gerwen, taking on World Champion Gary Anderson as two of the sport's biggest 180 hitters come face-to-face.

Chisnall averaged 107 as he defeated Kim Huybrechts in Belfast last Thursday to maintain his unbeaten start to the season, and he said: "I'm really looking forward to this game.

"We're both the same type of player - we like to score heavily and even though we miss the odd double sometimes we'll be giving it our best.

"I've always looked up to Gary, but I'm going to go up there and hopefully beat him. I'm enjoying the season and when the darts go like they did last week it's a good feeling."

Unbeaten van Gerwen meets Wright in a repeat of the 2014 World Championship final, with the colourful Scot having only picked up two points so far this season after drawing his last two games.

"I'm doing well and I've not lost yet so I'm happy with that," said van Gerwen, who also drew last week, against Lewis.

"I want to play well every week but anything can happen in this Premier League - the standard is unbelievable, really high.

"Peter will be a challenge this week but he knows he needs points and the pressure will be on his shoulders, not mine. I look forward to playing big games against players like Peter and it's going to be a cracker."

Phil Taylor meets James Wade in a repeat of the 2008 and 2010 Premier League finals, as the 16-time World Champion bids to cement his place inside the top four following a draw with Wright in Belfast.

"It's a massive game but they're all good games now," said Taylor. "James knows what I'm going to do and I've got to go out there and perform.

"I was annoyed with myself last week because I felt like I dropped a point and that could be precious at the end of the season.

"I averaged 103 last week and I want to improve on that, but the good thing is that I'm getting the hump with myself even though I'm playing okay, and in the next two or three months I'm going to get better and better."

Reigning champion Raymond van Barneveld is bidding for his first-ever win over Kim Huybrechts in the night's other game in Exeter, having lost all six previous games against the Belgian since 2008.

"I've never beaten Kim before but I hope to get my chance to beat him for the first time in my career and I'm looking forward to it," said van Barneveld, who defeated van Gerwen in last May's Premier League final.

"You don't win games because of your name or because you're a five-time World Champion now, every week is a battle and it's ten amazing players."

The record sales in Exeter for Thursday's sold-out event also pushed the total ticket sales for the Betway Premier League beyond an amazing 100,000 for the 16-week season.

"The Betway Premier League's visit to the Westpoint Arena is always a highlight for us and we're delighted that this year's event has sold out," said PDC Chief Executive Matthew Porter.

"The sport's popularity has continued to soar over the past year since we were last in Exeter, and this is another boost for us. The line-up in Exeter has five exciting games in store this week, and we hope that everyone has a great night."

Betway Premier League Night Five, Thursday March 5 (7pm).

Westpoint Arena, Exeter.

Raymond van Barneveld v Kim Huybrechts.

James Wade v Phil Taylor.

Adrian Lewis v Stephen Bunting.

Peter Wright v Michael van Gerwen.

Dave Chisnall v Gary Anderson.