Jonny Clayton is the third player in that foursome who has also chosen to skip the International Darts Open, but Gerwyn Price is involved and there are some very good players travelling to Germany to try and win this title over the weekend.
The First Round is once again scheduled across two Sessions on Friday before the Seeds enter the fray on Saturday and the selections from the opening matches can be read below.
Andrew Gilding - 1.5 legs v Bradley Brooks: There has been nothing wrong with the form on the floor as far as Andrew Gilding is concerned having won a Players Championship title and reached the Final in another since the last European Tour event.
Goldfinger should be in confident mood and that should be enough to beat Bradley Brooks without needing a deciding Leg in this First Round match.
The younger player has potential, but Brooks has been struggling for form and that has resulted in eight defeats in his last nine matches played.
All of those defeats have been without earning a shot at a deciding Leg and Andrew Gilding should be able to progress to the next Round.
Niels Zonneveld-Keane Barry over 4.5 180s: The Darts Tour is pretty relentless and there are going to be periods in which players struggle for form.
It feels like one of those periods for Niels Zonneveld who has lost eleven of the last sixteen matches played.
The scoring is still there, but this looks a tough match for Zonneveld against Keane Barry, who can contribute in the maximum department.
Power scoring will always catch the eye, but Keane Barry is more than capable of matching Niels Zonneveld and has won the last two meetings. That will certainly make his price appealing as the underdog, but Barry may have to find at least a couple of maximums to give himself a chance if Niels Zonneveld continues to do what he has been doing.
Kevin Doets to win & most 180s v Tom Bissell: You have to respect the kind of darts being produced by Tom Bissell, but this opening match at the International Darts Open looks a very difficult one.
For a number of weeks Kevin Doets has been playing at a really high level and his performances on the European Tour stage has been backed up by results on the floor.
Kevin Doets can find a really good rhythm attacking the treble 20 bed and he may just have a little too much for Tom Bissell.
The latter did put wins on the board against Martin Schindler and Stephen Bunting earlier this week in Players Championship events, but Tom Bissell could not follow those up and Kevin Doets can continue his hot form.
Josh Cullen to win & most 180s v Chris Landman: You can never be certain as to which Joe Cullen will head out onto the stage and the inconsistent results will continue to disappoint and frustrate in equal measure.
He was beaten in his first match at the last European Tour, but Joe Cullen has been in better form than Chris Landman who has fallen out of the top 100 in the World Rankings.
Joe Cullen has proven to be the superior maximum hitter of the two and that may be key in helping him through to the Second Round matches to be played on Saturday.
Niko Springer v Charlie Manby: The experience of Niko Springer could be key in this European Tour match, although the German has usually kept his best form for after the First Round.
He cannot afford to do that on Friday when facing Charlie Manby and especially as both players had been in decent enough form at the Players Championship events played earlier in the week.
Charlie Manby is still growing his experience on the Tour and that could ultimately prove to be the difference in what should be a close, competitive match.
With the home crowd behind him, Niko Springer can do enough to battle through to the next Round.
MY PICKS: Andrew Gilding - 1.5 Legs @ 1.66 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Niels Zonneveld-Keane Barry Over 4.5 180s @ 1.72 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Kevin Doets to Win & Most 180s @ 2.30 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Joe Cullen to Win & Most 180s @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Niko Springer @ 1.80 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Darts 2026: 68-96, - 14.97 Units (161 Units Staked, - 9.30% Yield)
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