Ok, cool, just needed a quick refresher with that Balrog fight. And, no, I haven't seen DOS yet. Sorry, didn't really care for the first Hobbit film. Watched the scene with Sauron just now and Gandalf has limited shield capabilities.
Has he shown to utilize offensive tactics simultaneously? It seems to me if they decide to go melee Palpatine will slay him easily with his fighting skills, speed, and pre-cog.
I do remember Gandalf displaying TK in his fight with Sarumon. But I think everyone can agree that Palpatine's TK dwarfs that of the wizard.
Other than the shields I don't see much that Palpatine need be worried about.
Palpatine tried to flee from Yoda. Sure. If you were about to engage somebody who you weren't sure you could defeat and had so much at stake(just proclaimed Emperor, new apprentice, etc.) would you entertain it? Dude's a calculating megalomaniac, not a honorable warrior.