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Michael van Gerwen faces Luke Littler in the opening round

World Matchplay darts predictions: Game-by-game preview of the Blackpool major including Michael van Gerwen v Luke Littler

By Paul Nicholson

Darts

Thu July 11, 2024 · 5M ago

Paul Nicholson looks ahead to this year's World Matchplay by predicting every first-round match as well as revealing his eventual champion of the Blackpool major.

Predictions: Round one

In draw bracket order

(1) Luke Humphries v Ricardo Pietreczko (Saturday evening)

There won't be many people who think Ricardo is going to win this game. One of the main reasons he qualified for this tournament is because he won the German Darts Championship last year, which was an astonishing achievement, but his form in 2024 hasn't been to the same level. Luke Humphries has been playing very well, he's comfortable in Blackpool and won't be fazed at all by the pressure of being top seed. He was pushed hard by Pietreczko at the World Championship but that's pretty much the only factor in the German's favour.

Verdict: 10-3

(16) Stephen Bunting v Ryan Joyce (Sunday afternoon)

This is one is the tightest ties of the round. Bunting has been in great form for a couple of years now and is of course the Masters champion but Ryan Joyce has been in good form for around a year and very recently reached the semi-finals of a Players Championship event. His disappointment that day is a good sign because a lot of players would have been satisfied to go that far - but he wants more. I think he's going to cause problems for Bunting but his lack of experience at Blackpool could prove decisive because his only other World Matchplay appearance came at Milton Keynes. Debutants can find the atmosphere here a bit of a shock.

Verdict: 10-8

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(8) Jonny Clayton v Raymond van Barneveld (Saturday evening)

Jonny Clayton recently returned to the winners' enclosure just over a year after winning the Austrian Darts Open and a players championship soon after in 2023. He told me very recently that he feels he’s got his mojo back. Reaching last year's final in Blackpool was special to him because of all the personal issues that had been making the headlines, so this time he'll have a fresher mindset and I fancy him to take Raymond out.

Verdict: 10-7

(9) Dimitri Van den Bergh v Martin Schindler (Sunday afternoon)

Martin Schindler is having a great season having won a title for the first time on the European Tour in Riesa - and in doing so beating 'Mr Riesa' Gerwyn Price in the final. Dimitri isn't getting the credit he deserves having picked up two titles at the UK Open and also a Players Championship event in 2024, which makes him only one of four players to win multiple tournaments this year. I think this will be a really close game and the crowd will be pretty neutral too, so I feel there could be at least 18 legs in this one. I'm siding with Dimitri purely because he has better Blackpool form and experience than Martin.

Verdict: 10-8

(4) Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney (Saturday evening)

What's not to love about this tie. Most people will be expecting Gerwyn Price to go through for obvious reasons but Daryl Gurney's record in Blackpool is very strong and I've felt for a while that he's on an upward trend. He's made a final this year and although he lost it, his run showed progress and he does prefer the big occasions. It's somewhat surprising that Price has only managed to win one title this year on the World Series Tour so maybe he has a point to prove and could win comfortably if Gurney is off his game. However I just don't see that happening and I see this being quite close with a minimum of 17 legs. It's a tough one to call but Gurney has got this knack of turning up in Blackpool and I've got a feeling he might spring a surprise.

Verdict: 8-10

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(13) Ross Smith v Josh Rock (Sunday afternoon)

Let's face it, neither of these guys like this draw but when you play at the World Matchplay, you won't often get an 'easy' tie. Some draws are worse than others but Josh Rock is one of the the highest ranked qualifiers having been really consistent this year and as well as winning a European Tour title recently, he also had a great World Cup experience with Brendan Dolan. Ross Smith has also won very recently on the Pro Tour by edging a deciding leg against Wesley Plaiser and judging by the way he calmly dealt with that situation, I wouldn't be surprised to see him do the same in what promises to be a very close contest.

Verdict: 13-12

(5) Nathan Aspinall v Luke Woodhouse (Saturday evening)

There's not one person who hasn't been worried about Nathan Aspinall recently because we heard reports that his wrist wasn’t 100%. But we have seen performances from him in a couple of Players Championships that were encouraging. I expect him to take his usual spirit and fire on the stage as defending champion and it will benefit playing someone who's never experienced the Winter Gardens in Luke Woodhouse. Nothing prepares you for the heat of that venue and I feel Aspinall will battle through.

Verdict: 10-7

(12) Danny Noppert v James Wade (Sunday afternoon)

You've got to give James Wade a lot of credit for making it to his 19th successive World Matchplay because he wasn't even in the qualification places before the last two Player Championship events before the cut-off. He snuck in at the expense of Cameron Menzies and Kevin Doets and now that he's there, he won't feel any pressure. All the pressure was on him to get here - but he's got almost a free hit now because nobody is expecting him to go far. Danny Noppert has enjoyed a typically steady season but this could be the kind of match that James can really get his teeth into.

Verdict: 8-10

(2) Michael van Gerwen v Luke Littler (Monday evening)

Michael van Gerwen will be the most unhappy out of the two with this draw but it could have obviously been much easier for Luke Littler too! MVG hasn't won a tournament since triumph on the World Series Tour in Den Bosch back in January and he now comes up against a player who has picked up a title in every month of the season so far including the Premier League. There's going to be a lot of people piping for Littler in this game, and I have to do the same. There is no pressure on either player because it's such a tough fixture for both - it's not as if any result would be regarded as a shock. Littler has just made a habit of doing incredible things in debuts this year and I wouldn't be surprised at all for him to do the same here in front of a crowd who will all be in his favour.

Verdict: 9-11

(15) Joe Cullen v Brendan Dolan (Sunday evening)

Joe Cullen is not in good form and he knows it. He hasn't been playing well on the floor at all while his European Tour form is not to his liking either, even though he's broken the record this year of the most consecutive events played in. You've got to give him credit to keep that run and dedication going for around eight seasons but in terms of recent form, there's not much optimism ahead of a clash with a player who has won a title this season and also enjoyed a morale-boosting run at the World Cup. Dolan's deliberate style won't suit him either and could plant seeds of doubt in Joe's mind. That said, he proved critics wrong against Damon Heta on this stage a couple of seasons ago and will be fired up to do the same again. My head says Dolan 10-7 but my heart says Cullen 10-8. I'm going with my head.

Verdict: 7-10

(7) Dave Chisnall v Krzysztof Ratajski (Sunday evening)

Dave's been a bit up and down recently but he's still one of four multi-time champions this year having picked up a European Tour title and one Players Championship event. By contrast Ratajski has been a bit off and was in danger of missing out on the World Matchplay due to his slide down the rankings. Chisnall will feel this is a decent draw for him and I see him winning in 15 legs.

Verdict: 10-5

(10) Peter Wright v Andrew Gilding (Sunday evening)

There's a lot of question marks surrounding Peter Wright but Andrew Gilding isn't the same player that won the UK Open 12 months ago and I fancy Snakebite to come through. He looked in a much better place alongside Gary Anderson at the World Cup because he seemed to play without pressure and that's maybe key for him going forwards. If his best days are behind him then he should treat the future as a bonus and try to have some fun up there.

Verdict: 10-5

(3) Michael Smith v Gary Anderson (Monday evening)

The only reason why people aren't tipping Gary to win this title is because the success he's enjoyed over the past couple of seasons has been over short formats. Even the European Tour final he won was only first to eight legs so if you want to win majors, you've got to be doing that over best of 31-legs at the end of a long week. Michael Smith might be in better shape to have a big run if he can get past this awful first-round draw. However, playing someone like Gary will ensure Smith doesn't make a slow start and will instead help him focus early and hit the ground running.

Verdict: 10-8

(14) Chris Dobey v Ritchie Edhouse (Monday evening)

I think the casual darts fan will be surprised to see Ritchie Edhouse in the tournament but he's actually been playing some surperb darts under the radar a little like Ryan Searle was doing in 2020 and 2021. He's constantly finding a new level, setting personal bests and averaging over a hundred on a more regular basis than ever. That's why he's winning more matches but he doesn't have major tournament pedigree and has let two set leads slip in the last couple of World Championships. Even though he's in the form of his life I expect Chris Dobey to win comfortably. Dobey has produced some incredible numbers this year and the only player above him in the averages is Gary Anderson. He was unbelievable when winning a Players Championship title earlier this season and I think he wins in 14 legs.

Verdict: 10-4

(6) Rob Cross v Gian van Veen (Sunday evening)

How good has Rob Cross been this year? He's been magnificent and going deep in many tournaments. I expect him to do so again in Blackpool, where he has fond memories of becoming champion several years ago, starting against Gian van Veen. The young Dutchman has plenty of potential and although he's not making as much noise as he was last year, that's probably due to Luke Littler, who has stolen the thunder of many rising stars for the time being. Cross should come through but van Veen has the talent to cause him a few scares.

Verdict: 10-7

(11) Damon Heta v Ryan Searle (Monday evening)

Both of these players have enjoyed hot spells this season, with Ryan's coming right at the start of the season as always. Damon also picked up a tournament win earlier in the campaign and while I expect this to be a superb game, it is a bit of a coin flip encounter that has at least 18 legs in it. I'm going to give the edge to Damon, who recently won 17 legs in a row during a Players Championship event having trailed 4-1 in one match before winning 6-4, 6-0, 6-0! He can be a bit enigmatic and we aren't always sure what we're going to get but if the right version turns up then he can pinch it.

Verdict: 12-10 either way!