Grand Slam of Darts 2022: Night eight predictions, betting tips, acca, order of play and TV time

By Chris Hammer

Darts

Sat November 19, 2022 · 2y ago

The quarter-finals of the 2022 Cazoo Grand Slam of Darts conclude on Saturday night so check out Chris Hammer's match-by-match predictions, stats, best bets and a suggested acca.

The second two quarter-finals take place tonight, including three-time champion up against Luke Humphries.

Here's our match-by-match guide to all of the action...

Darts betting tips: Grand Slam of Darts day seven

1pt Nathan Aspinall to win and hit most 180s at 11/10 (Paddy Power, Sky Bet)

1pt MVG v Humphries to have over 25.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 126.5 and over 14.5 total 180s at 11/10 (Sky Bet)

SL Acca: Aspinall (-2.5 legs) and MVG (-2.5 legs) both to win with Sky Bet

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

Grand Slam of Darts: Saturday November 19

Evening Session (1900 GMT)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports
Format: Quarter-finals, best of 31 legs
In the below stats (courtesy of @CarlyFletch and his @DartsTracker), the averages and 180 per leg data is for all PDC events in 2022, while checkout percentage is for stage events only.

Nathan Aspinall (4/11) v Alan Soutar (2/1)

Head to Head (TV): 2-0 (1-0)
2022 Head to Head (TV): 1-0 (1-0)
Group Stage position: Winner E - Runner-up E
Three-Dart Average (2022): 97.54 - 91.64
180s per leg (2022): 0.31 - 0.21
Checkout % (Stage Events 2022): 39.43% - 42.86%
100+ checkout per leg won (2022): 14.7% - 10.46%
Match Treble % (Win, most 180s & high checkout): 23.6% - 18.37%

Nathan Aspinall will have to do something he's never done before if he's to reach the Grand Slam of Darts semi-finals for the first time - and that's beat Alan Soutar!

The Asp suffered a 5-4 defeat him in their opening group match, with the Scotsman firing in a stunning 145 checkout in the deciding leg, but he bounced back to top the standings with a win over Peter Wright that also sent Soutar through as runner-up on legs difference.

Statistically, they've been pretty even this week - averaging around the low 90s during the group stages and then both managing 97 in their respective victories over Jermaine Wattimena and Jonny Clayton.

However, while those levels are very par for Aspinall and has plenty of room for improvement, his opponent has exceeded expectations to get here and is now in unknown territory on such a big stage.

He lacks the experience of these high pressure long format matches under the lights but at least he has the battling qualities like Aspinall to give it a real good go.

The Stockport thrower, who beat Gerwyn Price en route to the World Grand Prix final last month to remind everyone of his major prowess, has significantly higher 180 per leg stats than Soutar this season (0.31 v 0.21) and although he's trailing 13-9 in this tournament (0.23 per leg v 0.30) I'd expect him to use his experience to find his range in this long format.

Verdict: 16-12

Click here to back Aspinall to win and hit most 180s with Sky Bet

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Michael van Gerwen (4/11) v Luke Humphries (2/1)

Head to Head (TV): 7-3 (2-1)
2022 Head to Head (TV): 3-2 (1-0)
Group Stage position: Winner G - Winner H
Three-Dart Average (2022): 98.14 - 97.51
180s per leg (2022): 0.27 – 0.33
Checkout % (Stage Events 2022): 38.1% - 40.75%
100+ checkout per leg won (2022): 13.56% - 12.61%
Match Treble % (Win, most 180s & high checkout): 28.15% - 31.51%

Michael van Gerwen came through one of the best matches in Grand Slam of Darts history to reach the quarter-finals - and he could well be embroiled in another classic when he steps up to face Luke Humphries.

MVG got a little bit of stick for 'doing a Ronnie O'Sullivan' when Josh Rock hit an unforgettable nine-dart finish but as he explained in the post-match interview, he knew he had to stay purely focused in his own game. The the way MVG maintained his formidable standard to defy Rock's heroics vindicated his response - and that will be key again if Humphries unleashes his A-game.

Van Gerwen, who is chasing a fourth Grand Slam title and first since 2017, knows full well the threat posed by Humphries having faced him five times this season and losing two of them, including a 7-0 thumping in a European Tour semi-final.

Two of his three victories have been extremely close, winning 10-9 in the second round of the Masters back in January and 7-5 in a Players Championship semi-final in March, so I think we can expect plenty of legs tonight.

MVG averaged 107.71 during his 10-8 triumph over Rock and weighed in with four 100+ checkouts while he produced a high level during the group stages, including a 105 average in his only defeat to Ross Smith.

The Dutchman has also managed ton+ checkouts in every game as well as combined total of 11 maximums at 0.28 per leg.

Humphries, who came through a hard-fought clash with Ross Smith in the last 16 after losing to Rock in a group he still topped, has strangely only managed eight so far in 39 legs which is well below his seasonal ratio of 0.33 per leg but that will need to change if he's to pile real pressure on van Gerwen.

The pace and length of the game will hopefully help him find his range and that's why I'm expecting fireworks from both players but ultimate a triumph for MVG.

Verdict: 16-13

Click here to back the match to have over 25.5 legs, highest checkout to be over 126.5 and over 14.5 total 180s at 11/10

Grand Slam of Darts: Group stage standings and results

Scoring System: Each competitor played each other once in a best-of-nine legs match, with two points going to the winner. The top two from each group progressed to the knockout stages.