Michael Smith, Gary Anderson, Dave Chisnall and Michael van Gerwen are all in the quarter-finals
Michael Smith, Gary Anderson, Dave Chisnall and Michael van Gerwen are all in the quarter-finals

World Darts Championship: Saturday's quarter-final predictions, betting tips, odds, order of play & TV times


The quarter-finals of the PDC World Darts Championship take place on Saturday so here's our match-by-match preview and predictions ahead of the action.

I doubt anyone predicted these quarter-finals before a dart was thrown, with two unheralded debutants, a rising star and a name from the past all making the last eight.

They are joined by the far more familiar names of Michael van Gerwen, Gary Anderson, Michael Smith and Dave Chisnall but in this tournament of shocks, comebacks and underdog stories, who knows what the semi-final line-up will be.

I'll try and make an educated guess below but making predictions throughout this World Championship has proven to be a rather testing exercise to say the least.

World Darts Championship: Saturday December 29

AFTERNOON SESSION

Click on the odds for more Sky Bet match markets

  • TV Coverage: Sky Sports (1230 GMT)
  • Quarter-Finals: Best of nine sets

Nathan Aspinall (8/13) v Brendan Dolan (5/4)

H2H: 0-0
2018 Meetings: 0-0
PDC Titles: 1-5
2018 Titles: 1-0

Aspinall's route: 3-0 v Geert Nentjes (R1), 3-2 v Gerwyn Price (R2), 4-1 v Kyle Anderson (R3), 4-3 v Devon Petersen (R4)

Dolan's route: 3-0 Yuanjun Liu (R1), 3-0 v Joe Cullen (R2), 4-2 v Mervyn King (R3), 4-1 v Benito Van de Pas (R4)

There's no disputing this is the most surprising of the quarter-final fixtures although when you look at their results on paper, it's not as if they've caused huge upsets to be here.

Both players have taken their chances in the so-called softer quarter of the draw, which was blown open as soon as Peter Wright got knocked out, and everyone else who was in it will be kicking themselves at home.

That's to take nothing away from either man, especially Nathan Aspinall who produced one of my personal highlights of the tournament when surviving a match dart at 2-0 down against Grand Slam of Darts champion Gerwyn Price before claiming an astonishing 3-2 victory.

The manner of that success, which was helped by his pre-meditated tactic of playing Price at his own game in the shouting stakes, gave him a real sense of belief and a springboard to go on and defeat Kyle Anderson 4-1 in a 'proper game of darts' before producing another stirring comeback from two sets down against Devon Petersen.

The 27-year-old Stockport man, who won his maiden PDC title earlier this season, posted averages in the 90s in those three matches while his mental strength at key times has also been impressive.

By contrast, Brendan Dolan's under the radar journey hasn't got anybody's pulses racing but that's no reason to underestimate him.

The Northern Irishman, who has already earned more money here (£50,000) than he managed during the rest of a miserable 2018, managed 90+ averages when upsetting both Joe Cullen and Mervyn King but dipped below it in that hard to watch clash with Benito van de Pas.

Despite having quarter-final experience in other major tournaments, the History Maker had never gone beyond the second round in 10 previous visits to Alexandra Palace so just by being here he's lived up to his nickname.

I'm hoping Aspinall can get through but I wouldn't be surprised if Dolan sneaks a hard-fought encounter. It's even money that the match is over 7.5 sets while the 3/1 about Dolan winning but Aspinall hitting more 180s is also worth a play.

Prediction: 3-5

Dave Chisnall (11/5) v Gary Anderson (2/5)

H2H: 5-17 (1 draw)
2018 Meetings: 1-2
PDC Titles: 12-46
2018 Titles: 0-4

Chisnall's route: 3-2 v Josh Payne (R2), 4-0 v Kim Huybrechts (R3), 4-0 v Jamie Lewis (R4)

Anderson's route: 3-1 v Kevin Burness (R2), 4-3 v Jermaine Wattimena (R3), 4-3 v Chris Dobey (R4)

Could this finally be Dave Chisnall's time to not only win his first major title, but the biggest of the lot?

It would have been fanciful thinking to say the least at the start of the tournament given Chizzy has endured a lean couple of years on the televised stages, which contributed to him losing his Premier League spot, while he was also placed in the toughest half of the draw.

But wouldn't it be so typical of this unpredictable tournament that he goes the distance when not even his legion of supporters saw it coming?

It's not as if the popular St Helens man isn't playing well enough to at least give Gary Anderson another scare - and perhaps even likely semi-final opponent Michael van Gerwen.

Since trailing 2-0 in sets to Josh Payne in his first match, Chisnall has won 32 of the 46 legs he's played and won 11 successive sets.

Sure he missed plenty of doubles in the 4-0 thumping of Jamie Lewis but most of those came in an error-strewn final two sets and he still managed to average close to 100.

There's also doubts over Anderson's back problems, with the Flying Scotsman showing real signs of discomfort during his post-match press conference after his epic 4-3 victory over Chris Dobey on Friday night.

To say this year's UK Open, World Matchplay and Champions League of Darts winner, who survived a match dart in his previous match against Jermaine Wattimena, has been living dangerously in his quest for a third world title is an understatement.

And while his schedule has been kind to him in terms of giving him plenty of time to rest after his mentally draining matches, he does look vulnerable.

I'm going to take a chance on the upset at 11/5, over 27.5 180s in the match at 4/1 and also a small bet on 28/1 for Chizzy to win the title.

Prediction: 4-5

EVENING SESSION

· TV Coverage: Sky Sports (1900 GMT)

· Quarter-Finals: Best of nine sets

Luke Humphries (23/10) v Michael Smith (1/3)

H2H: 0-2
2018 Meetings: 0-2
PDC Titles: 0-11
2018 Titles: 0-3

Humphries' route: 3-0 v Adam Hunt (R1), 3-1 v Stephen Bunting (R2), 4-1 v Dimitri van den Bergh (R3), 4-2 v Rob Cross (R4)

Smith's route: 3-1 Ron Meulenkamp (R2), 4-2 v John Henderson (R3), 4-1 v Ryan Searle (R4)

If you didn't know what a potential star Luke Humphries was before this World Championship, you certainly do now.

The 23-year-old from Newbury, whose only previous taste of playing in a major televised tournament was his first-round defeat here 12 months ago, belied his inexperience of the big stage to come from 2-0 down and defeat defending champion Rob Cross last night.

It was his strength of character that impressed me most when reeling off four sets on the trot straight after spurning four darts to win the second, which must have felt like a crushing blow.

Humphries has been a revelation on the PDC Development Tour, winning the Order of Merit for the second year in a row despite also committing himself to Pro and European Tour events in a hectic season, so he's certainly battle-hardened as well as super talented.

He's only dropped four sets during his rampaging run, which has also seen him brush aside Stephen Bunting and Dimitri van den Bergh, so Michael Smith is in for a game alright.

Bully Boy is my last pre-tournament tip standing after Voltage's exit last night but I still have faith he'll go on and reach the final.

The Premier League and World Series of Darts Finals runner-up, who has won three titles this season, averaged 100 for the second successive game when defeating Ryan Searle 4-1 while he also hit 10 180s and took out three 100+ checkouts in an impressive display.

I do think he'll have too much firepower for Humphries so I'll back him to win score over 7.5 180s and have a checkout of over 117.5 at 5/4.

Prediction: 3-5

Michael van Gerwen (1/50) v Ryan Joyce (14/1)

H2H: 1-0
2018 Meetings: 1-0
PDC Titles: 113-0
2018 Titles: 18-0

MVG's route: 3-1 v Alan Tabern (R2), 4-1 v Max Hopp (R3), 4-1 v Adrian Lewis (R4)

Joyce's route: 3-0 Anastasia Dobromyslova (R1), 3-0 v Simon Whitlock (R2), 4-3 v Alan Norris (R3), 4-3 v James Wade (R4)

"I think I'll need an extraordinary set of circumstances for that to happen."

Not even Ryan Joyce expects to pull off what would be the mother of all shocks in this crazy World Championship and while he's done incredibly well to get this far on his debut, his levels of play just aren't high enough to be able to live with Michael van Gerwen over such a long format.

The affable Geordie, who was 1000/1 prior to the tournament, upset the odds against both Simon Whitlock and James Wade either side of a thrilling triumph over Alan Norris and the £50,000 he's now pocketed is more than he's managed in his entire debut season on the PDC Tour.

It was impressive to see him 'out-time' Wade, who recorded a higher average, hit more 180s and boasted a higher checkout percentages, but it'll be a monumental task for him to do that against MVG.

It seems another tournament ago when the world number one had beer thrown on him but since then he's cruised through the rounds with 4-1 victories over Max Hopp and Adrian Lewis while he's unsurprisingly way ahead in the tournament average lists with 104.

When the pair last met earlier this season, MVG hit the first nine-darter for five years on the European Tour. You could say we're due one on the World Championship stage!

My angle of attack for this match is to back MVG to win, score over 6.5 180s and have a checkout of over 120.5 although this is risky if he wins comfortably. A 5-1 scoreline at 9/4 is another option.

Prediction: 5-1

Suggested Darts Acca

  • Dolan, Chisnall & Smith at 8/1

Schedule for the rest of the tournament

Sunday December 30
Evening Session
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts
Semi-Finals (Best of 11 sets)

  • Aspinall/Dolan v Smith/Humphries
  • MVG/Joyce v Anderson/Chisnall

Tuesday January 1
Evening Session (1900)
TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts

  • Final (Best of 13 sets)

Full World Championship draw and schedule

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