The first European Tour event of the 2026 began with an excited crowd on Friday as the First Round in Poland was completed, but the atmosphere should be even better on Saturday when some of the very best players on the Tour join the party.
Some quality matches have been set out ahead of the final day and the opening selections returned a slight profit.
Backing that up is the key across the two sessions set for Saturday with eight Second Round matches in the best of eleven format to be completed in both.
Nathan Aspinall to win & most 180s v Darryl Pilgrim: The early performances at the Players Championship have been solid enough for Nathan Aspinall, but he would have wanted at least one deeper run this past week.
He remains one of the big maximum hitters on the Tour and Nathan Aspinall is looking to put together a year that does earn him a return to the Premier League.
The likelihood is that the scoring power is going to be key for Aspinall against Darryl Pilgrim who upset Dave Chisnall, as well as one of the selections made on these pages on Friday.
However, that was not exactly a strong performance from Pilgrim and he is going to have to find a higher level, while also unlikely to be afforded as many chances as Chisnall allowed him to have in the First Round.
You have to expect Nathan Aspinall to have the majority of maximums in the match and that should set him up for a place in the Third Round.
Wessel Nijman v Gary Anderson: It has been made clear over the first seven weeks of the 2026 season that Gary Anderson is one of the favoured players, but he may struggle to contain Wessel Nijman.
Big hitting gives Anderson a chance to win any match he plays, but a couple of Third Round losses at the opening two Players Championship tournaments have continued an inconsistent start to the season.
He is well rested having skipped the two Players Championship tournaments played earlier this week, but that may leave Gary Anderson a little short against an extremely confident player.
Wessel Nijman was far from at his best in the First Round win here in Poland, but he has been putting together plenty of wins on the floor.
The numbers are impressive and it is Nijman who can be backed just ahead of Connor Scutt and Daryl Gurney as the strongest looking underdog to be able to make it through to the next day.
Jonny Clayton to win & over 2.5 180s v Adam Gawlas: The underdog came through the First Round with a solid win, but this is a step up in level if Jonny Clayton gets near to the form he has been producing in the Premier League.
The Night 3 Winner has admitted how much he enjoys playing in that Premier League tournament, but he is also keen to impress on the European Tour.
Jonny Clayton is finishing well enough and has been producing some very high scoring and that may give him the edge in this one.
The World Number 5 has not played Adam Gawlas in a few years, but he will have noted the maximum hitting that the latter produced on Friday. Jonny Clayton will have to match that in any winning effort, but he has been pounding the treble 20 bed with real regularity and can hit at least three on his way through to the Third Round.
Joe Cullen v Michael Smith: The withdrawal of Gerwyn Price allowed Michael Smith to not only travel to Krakow, but to take the Welshman's place in the Second Round.
Bully Boy lost a Qualifier to Micky Mansell that really upset him earlier this month, but he has earned six wins this week that has earned Smith places in European Tour 3 and 4 events to be played.
Those will have given him confidence, but Michael Smith has to be aware that Joe Cullen looks to be rounding into real form after some underwhelming months on the Tour.
A strong First Round win has to have given Cullen a boost, while he has also gotten the better of Michael Smith in a Players Championship meeting.
Both played well on that day, but the money has been coming in on Joe Cullen who has now become the favourite, which looks about right.
Luke Humphries to win & over 2.5 180s v Krzysztof Ratajski: The fans are going to be loud and boisterous for this Second Round match as the home favourite takes on the World Number 2.
However, Krzysztof Ratajski is going to need Luke Humphries to have an off day if he is going to earn the upset.
The Polish Number 1 has lost the last seven matches against Luke Humphries and has struggled to match the scoring power that the latter can produce. That has led to some one-sided wins for Humphries, including two last year on the Tour, and the challenge is all the greater for Ratajski when you consider how well Luke Humphries has been playing of late.
His results have not reflected that in the Premier League, but only three dates have been played, while Luke Humphries won a Players Championship earlier this week.
The scoring has been there and Luke Humphries should have too much for Krzysztof Ratajski even if the home crowd can inspire the underdog to push this one closer than some of the recent matches against the World Number 2 have played out.
MY PICKS: Nathan Aspinall to Win & Most 180s @ 1.95 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Wessel Nijman @ 2.10 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
Jonny Clayton to Win & Over 2.5 180s @ 2.05 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Joe Cullen @ 1.80 Bet Fred (1 Unit)
Luke Humphries to Win & Over 2.5 180s @ 1.91 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Poland Open: 3-2, + 0.77 Units (5 Units Staked, + 15.40% Yield)
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