After a positive enough opening day, the selections continue from the Afternoon and Evening Sessions.
Luke Woodhouse - 2.5 legs v Dragutin Horvat: The Englishman crushed this opponent in a European Tour event back in March and only lost two Legs to him in another event last year.
Luke Woodhouse continues to play with real confidence and Dragutin Horvat will have to lift his level a couple of steps if he is going to make this one more competitive.
There are times when Woodhouse perhaps plays down to the opponent in front of him, but he was upset early in the last European Tour event played and should be focused enough to cover this handicap mark.
Kim Huybrechts v Jermaine Wattimena: Missing out on the World Matchplay at Blackpool will be a blow for Kim Huybrechts, but he is still playing some very good darts right now.
He has won both meetings with Jermaine Wattimena this season, albeit on the floor, and Kim Huybrechts has one match under his belt on this stage, which will give him some confidence to take into this good looking Second Round match.
There is no doubt that Jermaine Wattimena is very dangerous, but Kim Huybrechts may be able to edge past him with the scoring to match the Dutchman and the recent form that may just see him come through as the slight underdog.
Wessel Nijman - 2.5 legs v Bradley Brooks: You have to give Bradley Brooks some credit for turning around his form over the last month after a really trying period between February and April when he could not buy a win.
He has looked better and has won a match on this stage, but Brooks will be aware that he is going in against one of the top performers on the PDC circuit in 2026.
Wessel Nijman has played well enough to no longer have to begin European Tour events on Friday and he is a genuine contender to win this one. He will also be looking for. a strong weekend to take into the World Matchplay next weekend when Nijman has a chance to showcase his improvement to a wider audience and the last couple of meetings between the players has seen the Dutchman overpower Bradley Brooks 12-3 in Legs.
You have to expect Brooks to offer a bit more resistance, but that may not be enough for this handicap mark.
Stephen Bunting to win & most 180s v Ryan Joyce: This is quite a simple Second Round match and how it is going to be decided- if Stephen Bunting has his finishing at better than 45% on the checkouts, he should have too much for Ryan Joyce.
Relentless has shown he is a steady scorer, but he is a clinical finisher and will take advantage of any mistakes made by an opponent.
However, you have to believe Stephen Bunting has the far superior scoring power and that should mean having many more darts at winning Legs and the match.
Stephen Bunting played in both floor events earlier this week before a quick stop in London for an exhibition and then travelling to Leverkusen. That is something of a concern in terms of mental fatigue that could have built up, but Bunting should still have enough to complete the match double in this opening match of the Evening Session.
Jonny Clayton to win, Clayton over 1.5 180s & Karel Sedlacek over 0.5 180s: This three combination approach looks like a good one for this Second Round match.
Jonny Clayton should be able to continue his fantastic 2026 by edging past Karel Sedlacek, but both players are capable of getting into the maximum groove and thaey should at least hit one each.
However, it is Clayton who has really shown off his power scoring around the treble 20 bed which makes it easier to ask him to hit at least two in this one and putting the bet builder together offers up a a decent price from this Second Round match.
Kevin Doets to win & both over 1.5 180s v Martin Schindler: There has not been a lot wrong with the level of performances produced by Martin Schindler, but recent losses have piled up and that has to have dented the confidence.
On current trajectories of these two players, it will be Schindler who will soon be starting European Tour events in the First Round while Kevin Doets will be pushing into the Seeded positions.
Martin Schindler has had the edge in the recent head to head, but the last meeting was in April 2025 and Kevin Doets is much improved now.
Both remain very solid maximum hitters and this could be one of the matches of the night, although the edge has to be with Kevin Doets to snap the losing run against this opponent.
Ross Smith-Niels Zonneveld over 2.5 180s each: The last match of the Evening Session is scheduled for around half an hour before England's Quarter Final at the 2026 World Cup and so Ross Smith will be hoping the earlier matches have not dragged on too long.
His focus will be on appearing on Finals Day in Leverkusen, but he will also want to get off the stage without missing too much of the England game.
Power scoring can quicken up Legs and both Smith and Niels Zonneveld are very capable of putting together some monster scoring.
These two players met in a European Tour event in early May and the maximums were powered in by both in a match that lasted nine Legs. You have to imagine that will be the case in this one too and that should give Ross Smith and Niels Zonneveld enough time to hit three maximums each in a fitting end to the Evening Session schedule.
MY PICKS: Luke Woodhouse - 2.5 Legs @ 1.66 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Kim Huybrechts @ 2.00 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Wessel Nijman - 2.5 Legs @ 1.83 Sky Bet (1 Unit)
Stephen Bunting to Win & Most 180s @ 2.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Jonny Clayton to Win, Jonny Clayton Over 1.5 180s & Karel Sedlacek Over 0.5 180s @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Kevin Doets to Win & Both Players Over 1.5 180s @ 2.20 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Ross Smith-Niels Zonneveld Over 2.5 180s Each @ 2.15 Bet365 (1 Unit)
European Darts Open: 2-1, + 1.05 Unis (3 Units Staked, + 35% Yield)
No comments:
Post a Comment