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Gerwyn Price and Michael van Gerwen (Picture: Lawrence Lustig/PDC)

World Matchplay darts final: Michael van Gerwen v Gerwyn Price predictions, betting tips, odds, statistics, H2H record & Sky Sports TV time

By Chris Hammer

Darts

Sun July 24, 2022 · 2y ago

Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price collide in Sunday night's Betfred World Matchplay final in Blackpool so check out our preview with statistics and tips.

It was dubbed one of the most wide open World Matchplay in many years when 32 players headed to the Winter Gardens all dreaming of lifting the Phil Taylor Trophy but now it all boils down to a clash between two of the biggest rivals in the sport.

Here, we look at the tournament and seasonal statistics for both players, their head-to-head record, routes to get here and our final predictions and tips…

Darts betting tips: World Matchplay final

1pt Gerwyn Price to hit 11+ 180s and two 100+ checkouts at 9/4 (Sky Bet)

1pt Gerwyn Price (-2.5) to beat Michael van Gerwen at 6/5 (Sky Bet)

1pt Gerwyn Price to win and hit most 180s at 9/5 (Paddy Power)

Sky Bet odds | Paddy Power | Betfair Sportsbook

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Michael van Gerwen (11/10) v Gerwyn Price (4/6)

Venue: Winter Gardens, Blackpool
TV Coverage and start time: Sky Sports (2100 BST)
Format: Best of 35 legs. Must be won by two clear legs, with up to a maximum of five additional legs being played before the sixth additional leg is sudden-death

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD

Overall Head-to-Head: 25-8, 1 draw (TV: 16-5, 1 draw)
All Tournament Finals: 3-1 (TV: 2-0)
11-9 - 2020 UK Open
7-8 - 2020 Players Championship 6
11-9 - 2019 Players Championship Finals
6-2 - 2016 UK Open qualifier
2022 Meetings: 2-3 (TV: 2-3)
8-4 - US Darts Masters (June)
5-6 - Premier League (May)
6-3 - Premier League (April)
4-6 - Premier League (March)
5-6 - Premier League (February)

Obviously the overall head-to-head record here looks extremely overwhelming in Michael van Gerwen's favour but it's pretty much irrelevant as far as a reliable form line when you consider he won 18 of their first 19 meetings - which included a draw - before Gerwyn Price eventually broke his duck at the 20th attempt en route to the 2019 Grand Slam of Darts title.

Since then, they've managed seven wins apiece although the Iceman is yet to beat his arch rival in a televised final, having lost both the 2019 Players Championship Finals and the 2020 UK Open by narrow margins in exhilarating fashion.

They pretty much always put on a blockbusting show and we were reminded of that during this season's Premier League when Price hit one of his nine-darters during a 6-5 victory over Van Gerwen in Belfast, with both averaging over 106.

I do not believe this. A SECOND nine-darter in one night from Gerwyn Price, who started the evening with a 170 checkout!

Absolute scenes in Belfast.pic.twitter.com/S4X2KIn1Jo
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) February 17, 2022

The Iceman has the slight edge this season but all five meetings have been pretty close. They thrive on bringing the best out of each other and the way they've both improved during the week in Blackpool, we really could be in for another special night.

2022 WORLD MATCHPLAY STATS

Tournament Average
MVG: 97.77
Price: 101.73
100+ averages (highest & lowest match average)
MVG: 1 (101.86 v Aspinall, 89.99 v Lewis)
Price: 2 (104.64 v De Sousa, 98.38 v Chisnall)
Tournament 180s (180s per leg)
MVG: 30 (0.32)
Price: 35 (0.37)
Doubles hit (Checkout %)
MVG: 54/138 (39.1%)
Price: 54/118 (45.8%)
100+ checkouts (per leg won) & high checkout
MVG: 2 (0.4) & 146
Price: 6 (0.11) & 164

Both players arrived in Blackpool with sizeable question marks over their title chances, albeit for different reasons. For Michael van Gerwen, there were doubts surrounding his match fitness due to a lack of recent action since surgery on his injured arm after the Premier League final, while for Gerwyn Price it was all about his relatively poor form compared to the Iceman of old.

Although MVG got off to a sluggish and rusty start against Adrian Lewis, he's certainly improved significantly over the past week of intense action and longer format matches whereas Price has been posting significantly high stats with several blockbusting spells of darts along the way.

The world number one has put this revitalised form down to some constructive rest in recent weeks following such a hectic period of the season when the Premier League season was in full swing, and also the confidence gained from getting over the line in tight matches.

He bosses all the key stats, including his phenomenal checkout percentage, and that's one of the main reasons he heads into this clash as favourite.

ROUTES TO THE WORLD MATCHPLAY FINAL

Michael van Gerwen

R1: 10-7 v Adrian Lewis
Average: 89.99
180s: 2
100+ Checkouts: 1 (High: 126)
Checkout %: 43.48% (10/23)
R2: 11-5 v Joe Cullen
Average: 97.12
180s: 7
100+ Checkouts: 0 (High: 85)
Checkout %: 34.38% (11/32)
QF: 16-14 v Nathan Aspinall
Average: 101.86
180s: 12
100+ Checkouts: 1 (High: 146)
Checkout %: 48.38% (16/33)
SF: 17-14 v Dimitri Van den Bergh
Average: 98.9
180s: 9
100+ Checkouts: 0 (High: 68)
Checkout %: 34% (17/50)

As mentioned in the previous section, Michael van Gerwen's lacklustre opener is the one of the key reasons why his tournament stats are significantly lower than Gerwyn Price's and thankfully for him that's pretty much the most irrelevant match now.

His average against Nathan Aspinall could have been higher had he not stumbled over the line having earlier been way out in front with healthier stats while his finishing let him down a bit in an otherwise very solid display against Dimitri Van den Bergh. He knows there's plenty of room for improvement, but is he ready to reach it and sustain it throughout what could be a very lengthy contest against a player who has rediscovered his mojo?

Gerwyn Price

R1: 10-8 v Martin Schindler
Average: 99.78
180s: 8
100+ Checkouts: 0 (High: 91)
Checkout %: 43.48% (10/23)
R2: 11-8 v Dave Chisnall
Average: 98.32
180s: 5
100+ Checkouts: 3 (High: 164)
Checkout %: 47.83% (11/23)
QF: 16-14 v Jose de Sousa
Average: 104.64
180s: 9
100+ Checkouts: 1 (High: 160)
Checkout %: 45.7% (16/35)
SF: 17-11 v Danny Noppert
Average: 102.37
180s: 13
100+ Checkouts: 2 (High: 141)
Checkout %: 45.9% (17/37)

Gerwyn Price's nine-darter at the World Matchplay! Absolutely sensational scenes in Blackpool.

He's now hit FOUR perfect legs in 2022.pic.twitter.com/s0bCregtZ7
— Chris Hammer (@ChrisHammer180) July 23, 2022

Gerwyn Price used all his battling qualities to get through a very awkward opening contest against Martin Schindler with an average of almost 100 and it was a similar story when overcoming the in-form crowd favourite Dave Chisnall.

Since then he's raised the bar with a pair of 100+ averages against Jose de Sousa and Danny Noppert, who he blew away with the help of his fourth televised nine-darter of 2022!

A supremely confident Price with the stats and victories to back him up is the best player on the planet and it really looks like the world number one is reaching his relentless peak levels once again.

2022 SEASON STATS

2022 Titles: 6-2 (TV: 1-0)
Seasonal Average
MVG: 98.43
Price: 96.88
180s per leg in 2022
MVG: 0.27
Price: 0.27
Checkout % in 2022 (Stage events only)
MVG: 38.39%
Price: 41.77%
100+ checkouts per leg won
MVG: 12.7%
Price: 15.5%
Match Treble % in all comps (Win, most 180s, highest checkout)
MVG: 29.2%
Price: 25.8%

These stats are obviously less relevant now than they were at the start of the week but you can see how Price has turned the tables on van Gerwen on the scoring front this week, while he was already superior when it came to the finishing and 100+ checkout areas of the game.

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL PREDICTION AND BEST BETS

This is probably the first time Michael van Gerwen hasn't been the bookies favourite in a final since he faced Phil Taylor during his rise to the very top of the spot around 2012 to 2014.

Van Gerwen has won 42 of his 54 major finals, including the recent Premier League Darts climax against Joe Cullen which ended his two year wait for a big televised title, but this could well be the first he loses to Gerwyn Price.

We've been reminded this week just how special a blockbusting Iceman is for the game of darts and there really is no player like him at the moment, especially when he's operating at the kind of levels we've seen in the past two games.

There's no doubt he lost that bullet proof aura during the Premier League season despite that breathtaking week in Belfast and that's probably one of the reasons why the crowd have been a lot more behind him in Blackpool over the past seven nights. It's almost like everyone had missed him. The lovable arrogance, the swagger, the roars and the muscle flexes. Love him or hate him, he creates matches you just can't take your eyes off. None of that feels the same when he's struggling.

Van Gerwen won't be as confident against him - publicly or secretly - as he would have done in the days when Price had a very obvious mental block in their matches and if anything, he may well feel the underdog with a point to prove.

From everything I've seen this week - including Price's body language and happy demeanour in press conferences - I think the Iceman is in the better place out of the two and also has the superior statistics and experiences to back it up.

I'm going for a more one-sided margin of victory than you'd expect between these two players and also for Price to hit a high number of 180s.

Score Prediction: 13-18
Click here to back Gerwyn Price (-2.5 legs) to win at 5/4 with Sky Bet
Click here to back Gerwyn Price to hit 11+ 180's & 2+ 100+ checkouts at 9/4 with Sky Bet
Click here to back Gerwyn Price to win and hit most 180s at 7/4 with Sky Bet

MVG v PRICE: CAREER HONOURS

Senior Career PDC titles: 146-25
Televised PDC Titles/Finals: 57/78 - 7/11
Major Titles/Finals: 42/54 - 5/20

What time does MVG v Price start and what TV channel is it on?

Coverage of the final between Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price starts at 9pm on Sky Sports Main Event, with the match expected to begin around 9.15pm.