Michael van Gerwen will take on Dave Chisnall in the World Grand Prix final

World Grand Prix darts: Michael van Gerwen v Dave Chisnall final predictions, statistics, head-to-heads, betting tips & TV start time

By Chris Hammer

Darts

Sat October 12, 2019 · 5y ago

Our guide for the Boylseports World Grand Prix final between Michael van Gerwen and Dave Chisnall includes head-to-head record, tournament stats, predictions, odds and best bets.

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN v DAVE CHISNALL: CLICK HERE FOR LIVE FINAL UPDATES

World Grand Prix results & tournament guide
Follow @ChrisHammer180 on Twitter

It's been another dramatic week of double-start darts in Dublin and the climax could be a highly emotional one if Dave Chisnall can end his wait for a first major title by ending a freakishly long winless streak against Michael van Gerwen.

Chizzy, who I might add was tipped by yours truly at 50/1 each-way pre tournament and 6/1 to win his quarter, is still a considerable underdog despite the form he's shown under the bright lights this week, but could this format throw up one closing shock?

Here, you can find a whole host of stats, head-to-head records and my match verdicts, while you can also look back on the tournament results and previous finals.

World Grand Prix: Saturday October 12

Click on the odds for more Sky Bet match markets

TV Coverage: Sky Sports (2000 BST)
Final: Best of 9 sets, players must start and finish all legs on a double/bullseye

Michael van Gerwen (2/9) v Dave Chisnall (10/3)

HEAD-TO-HEAD

Overall: 47-9 (2 draws)
2019 Meetings: 4-0 (On TV: 1-0, Masters SF)
TV Meetings: 27-1 (2 draws)

TITLE RECORD (Individual events only)

PDC Titles this season: 10-3
Majors Titles this season: 2-0
All TV Titles this season: 4-0
Career PDC Titles: 123-16
Major PDC Titles: 35-0
All Televised PDC titles: 46-0

ROUTES TO THE FINAL

Michael van Gerwen

First round: 2-1 Jamie Hughes (2-3, 3-1, 3-1) Average: 84.59
Second round: 3-0 Jeffrey De Zwaan (3-0, 3-1, 3-1) Average: 94.79
Quarter-finals: 3-1 Mervyn King (3-2, 1-3, 3-1, 3-2) Average: 94.64
Semi-finals: 4-0 Chris Dobey (3-1, 3-2, 3-2, 3-0) Average: 91.41

Dave Chisnall

First round: 2-1 Gerwyn Price (2-3, 3-0, 3-2): Average: 92.5
Second round: 3-0 Stephen Bunting (3-2, 3-1, 3-0) Average: 86.35
Quarter-finals: 3-1 Nathan Aspinall (3-2, 3-1, 2-3, 3-1) Average: 90
Semi-finals: 4-1 Glen Durrant (3-0, 0-3, 3-2, 3-2, 3-2) Average: 91.17

TOURNAMENT STATS (MVG stats left)

Tournament Average: 91.44 - 90.12
Best Average: 94.79 (v De Zwaan) - 92.50 (v Price)
Tournament 180s: 10 - 18
Starting Doubles Missed: 92 in 59 legs - 103 in 64 legs
Number of no score opening visits: 19 (6, 6 & 5 & 2) - 19 (6, 4, 2 & 7)
Checkout %: 42.86% (39/91) - 44.44% (40/90)
High Checkout: 170 - 170
Ton+ Checkouts: 6 - 10

MATCH PREVIEW

Have you got the tissues at the ready for Dave Chisnall's date with destiny?!

There won't be a dry eye in my house - and many hundreds of thousands others around world I'm sure - if Chizzy can finally land the maiden major title that we've all been waiting for him to do for years and years and a few more years after that.

In some ways he's the Jimmy White of darts, entertaining the crowds with his style of play and lovable personality but sadly also being known for what he should have achieved. Of course the Whirlwind did win plenty of snooker titles - just not the Crucible crown, but you get the idea.

Nobody at the top of any sport wants the tag of being "best player never to have won a major" and the crowd pleasing St Helens man will be no different.

It won't help with the pressure and nerves that the darting media, pundits and fans - myself included - keep banging on about his wait for an elusive major and those kind of thoughts must have played on his mind before when it comes to the crunch. Not just in his four previous finals but also the five semi-final defeats.

However Chisnall has been breaking down these mental blocks all season which is one of the main reasons I backed him this week at 50/1 each-way, and not only has he picked up three titles in 2019 but one of them was his first on a stage since 2013.

In interviews he's stated how he's mentally in a much better place than during difficult times in his life on and off the oche, and you can definitely see a change in his on stage demeanour this past week.

The old Chizzy could have buckled in the first round when Gerwyn Price somehow found himself in a position to throw for the match despite being outplayed but it was the Iceman who choked rather than the other way round.

When Chisnall missed two match darts against Aspinall and lost the third set in the quarter-finals, he gathered his composure quickly and cruised through the fourth 3-1 to seal his place in the last four.

And when up against three-time BDO world champion Glen Durrant last night, he won three successive sets in deciding legs to move within one victory of a landmark moment in his career.

The format of this double-start major, which he's reached the final in before back in 2013 when Phil Taylor walloped him 6-0, does help out a jittery player in the sense their opponents can quite easily give them a head start by cocking the start of crunch legs.

And as you can see from the stats above, MVG isn't immune from making those mistakes - he's just not been punished enough for them.

Worryingly for Chisnall, his opponent tonight is not only the defending champion, who is seeking his fifth Dublin title, but also the man who beat him in two of his four major finals at the 2016 Masters (11-6) and 2016 Players Championship Finals (11-3).

In total they have met 58 times, with MVG winning 47 occasions while there have also been two draws in the Premier League.

Even more ominous is the fact that only one of Chizzy's nine victories over the world champion has come on TV and that was way back at the 2013 World Grand Prix quarter-final, while his last win of any kind game back in February 2016. They have played 26 times since then, with Chisnall's best result being a draw.

Van Gerwen's continued his rampant pursuit of yet another big title with a 4-0 victory over Chris Dobey although Hollywood did spurn crucial doubles to pile on pressure.

The world number one, who has 10 titles to his name this season including the televised Masters, Premier League, Melbourne Masters and New Zealand Masters, is a worthy favourite but he has lost three finals this year on the European Tour stage to Ian White, Mensur Suljovic and Joe Cullen.

I know this is a much bigger scale but perhaps van Gerwen is actually the most suitable player for Chisnall to face if he's to break this duck. There's certainly less pressure than if he was up against an underdog.

And if he does get the job done, he can't say he hasn't beaten the best to do it.

My correct scoreline of 5-3 to Chizzy is 12/1 with Sky Bet but obviously the win price is appealing enough - as is the 12/5 available on the handicaps with a 1.5 set head start.

Score Prediction: 3-5