World Matchplay Darts: Tips & Predictions For Wednesday’s Round of 16 Games

The last 16 of the World Matchplay Darts draws to a close on Wednesday night with four exciting match-ups to look forward to.

Proceedings begin with Andrew Gilding vs Dirk van Duijvenbode, both of whom enter off the back of strong performances against Damon Heta and Rob Cross respectively.

Then it’s Chris Dobey vs Gerwyn Price, both easy winners of their last 32 encounters and this is arguably the clash of the night between two players inside the world top ten.

Tournament favourite and reigning world champion Luke Littler takes to the stage in the penultimate match against Jermaine Wattimena, looking to continue his bid for a sixth major title.

Wednesday’s action is rounded off by three-time World Matchplay winner Michael van Gerwen up against Josh Rock.

World Matchplay Darts Tips & Predictions For Wednesday

7:15pm – Andrew Gilding vs Dirk van Duijvenbode – Van Duijvenbode to win & most 180s @ 4/5

Dirk van Duijvenbode enters this test in good form after beating Cross at the weekend where he averaged 95.33 and tallied eight maximums.

Over the last year, the Dutchman boasts a 96.86 average compared to Gilding’s 93.43 and he also holds a substantial edge on 180s with 642 in total to his opponent’s 290.

Gilding’s performance against Heta was no doubt stronger than what Van Duijvenbode managed but whether ‘Goldfinger’ can reproduce that is an unknown quantity.

Van Duijvenbode has gotten the better of Gilding in each of their last two meetings and he’s fancied to continue that trend.

8:15pm – Chris Dobey vs Gerwyn Price – Price -2.5 @ 11/10

It has been too long since Gerwyn Price lifted a major title and with some big names out of the hat already he will see a good opportunity to get back to where he belongs.

The Welshman looked comfortable as ever when beating Daryl Gurney 10-7 last time out, averaging over a ton and shooting an impressive 10/15 (67%) on the outer ring.

Dobey averaged just 90.95 in a 10-5 win over Ricardo Pietreczko and he won’t get away with going 10/33 on his doubles again against a player as lethal as Price.

Price has beaten Dobey in both of their last two encounters since the start of July and he appeals as the more reliable option of the two at the minute.

‘The Iceman’ was runner-up to Van Gerwen in this competition three years ago whereas Dobey has never progressed past the quarter-final and his opponent looks to have his number.

In true fashion Price continues to rattle cages and deliver on the stage following a fiery exchange with Gurney on Monday.

9:15pm – Luke Littler vs Jermaine Wattimena – Littler to have one or more bull finishes @ 4/5

Littler boasts one of the better bullseye checkout percentages on tour at 29.45% in the last 12 months and in such a huge mismatch where it can be difficult to find a bit of value, these markets are your friend.

He is well known for being a master of the ‘Big Fish’ and you should get a run for your money at 4/5 with the best Irish bookmakers.

10:15pm – Michael van Gerwen vs Josh Rock – Van Gerwen +2.5 @ 8/11

Josh Rock is the right favourite here considering Van Gerwen comes into the World Matchplay with just two World Series of Darts events under his belt since mid-May but Monday’s win over Raymond van Barneveld could be enough to dust the cobwebs off.

He averaged just 91.84 in that encounter and looked far from fluent but there should be plenty of improvement to come and Van Gerwen isn’t known for going down without a fight.

Rock looked impressive when averaging 104.32 against Ross Smith but 4/9 looks skimpy enough for a player who struggles to find consistency.

The Dutchman is struggling in his personal life but that may give him a bit of extra fire in the belly to power on and make a good scrap of this clash with Rock.

Van Gerwen to finish within two legs of Rock or cause an upset is worth chancing.

World Matchplay Darts Wednesday Accumulator

• Van Duijvenbode to win & most 180s @ 4/5
• Price -2.5 @ 11/10
• Littler one or more bull finishes @ 4/5
• Van Gerwen +2.5 @ 8/11

Combined odds: 10.75/1