European Tour 11- Hungarian Darts Trophy Day 2 Picks 2026 (Saturday 29th August)

The Seeded players will move into the Hungarian Darts Trophy draw after the First Round was completed in Budapest on Friday and this is a European Tour event that has been able to bring together some of the best players on the Tour.

James Wade was the latest to withdraw, albeit after the draw was made, but that may harden Luke Humphries into favouritism for the title, although the European stages do throw up plenty of opportunities for any player that can find a way into Finals day.

Big names means big matches and those attending the Sessions on Day 2 of this tournament should be viewing some top darts being thrown.

Sixteen matches need to be completed with eight in each Session on Saturday and the positive returns on Day 1 give us something to build upon when those Second Round matches get underway.

Wessel Nijman - 2.5 games v Dave Chisnall: You can never dismiss Dave Chisnall when he is throwing his best darts, but we have not seen a lot of consistency from him all year.

Backing that up is the fact he threw four maximums in the First Round win, but also struggled with his doubling and ultimately that led to an average of below 90.

Dave Chisnall will not need to be told that he will need to be a lot better if he is going to upset the odds against Wessel Nijman, who has beaten Chizzy twice this season.

The most recent came at the World Matchplay and Wessel Nijman proved to be too consistent for Dave Chisnall in a 10-5 win.

Another strong run at Players Championship 27 backs up what has continued to be a strong year for the Dutchman and he can produce enough quality to cover this spread in a winning effort.

Chris Dobey-Tom Sykes over 5.5 180s: When these players met on the floor back in May, Chris Dobey and Tom Sykes needed to play all eleven Legs in what was a high quality affair.

On that day, Chris Dobey had eight maximums on his own, but Tom Sykes stayed competitive by producing four of his own and both players averaged over 100.

Tom Sykes has crushed Cameron Menzies in the First Round at this European Tour event and was able to produce three maximums in the seven Legs played.

The expectation for this Second Round match is seeing at least nine Legs played out and both Dobey and Sykes can pummel the treble 20 bed and help combine to rack up the maximum scoring in what could be a cracking end to the Afternoon Session.

Nathan Aspinall to win & most 180s v Ryan Joyce: The underdog may be getting better and better at putting the maximums on the board, but Nathan Aspinall will always feel he can outperform most players on the Tour when it comes to that market.

He has admitted that he has not been focusing on his darts as much as he perhaps should have been, but Nathan Aspinall is now married and that may mean refocusing.

Ryan Joyce will have to be a lot better than he was in the First Round if he is going to beat Nathan Aspinall- Joyce may have beaten Cristo Reyes, but can be thankful for a wasteful doubling day from the latter.

It should be said that Nathan Aspinall can sometimes may Legs tougher than they should be when he is slightly off the doubling and giving Ryan Joyce opportunities would be a mistake.

However, the scoring power should mean Aspinall gets to the double first and he can complete the match double.

MY PICKS: Wessel Nijman - 2.5 Legs @ 2.05 Bet Fred (1 Unit)

Chris Dobey-Tom Sykes Over 5.5 180s @ 1.66 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Nathan Aspinall to Win & Most 180s @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Hungarian Darts Trophy: 3-0, + 3.21 Units (3 Units Staked, + 107% Yield)

European Tour 11- Hungarian Darts Trophy Day 1 Picks 2026 (Friday 29th August)

Four months remain of the calendar year and the Darts Tour is now fast approaching the World Championship that begins in December, but finishes in January, and is now considered a part and parcel of the Christmas period.

Before we get to the World Championships, there are some important events to be played and the European Tour will take centre stage across the next three weekends.

The floor events are now coming to a close with just six of those remaining before the field for the Players Championship is confirmed and that will mean there is some pressure on Luke Littler- he has dominated all of the big events played this year, but Littler needs to have a couple of very strong runs in the two Players Championship events left in Leicester if he is going to earn a spot at the Players Championship Finals after competing just twice on the floor all year.

Luke Littler is missing in Hungary this weekend, as is Gerwyn Price, but a solid field has come together for the eleventh European Tour event of the season.

As is the norm for these European Tour events, the First Round will be played in two Sessions on Friday before the Seeded players join and complete the Second Round across two Sessions on Saturday.

A busy Sunday will then be played out to determine the Champion of the Hungarian Darts Trophy as players look to pick up their form ahead of a very busy, competitive, and hugely important final four months of the season.

William O'Connor to win & most 180s v Samuel Price: Any player who has Qualified to take part in any European Tour event has to be respected, but Samuel Price has shown little recent form on the floor.

Earning his Tour Card earlier this season shows the kind of level Samuel Price can reach, but his first appearance on the European Tour ended in a one sided loss. The World Number 135 has also struggled for consistency in his time on the Tour, but this is all a learning curve for Samuel Price who can use that to build a much twelve months.

Early defeats in the Players Championship events played earlier this week can only have dented any confidence Samuel Price may have had ahead of this trip to Hungary.

William O'Connor showed a bit more consistency, and had been producing the stronger numbers and he can edge this First Round contest.

The Irishman is regularly a big maximum hitter and can complete the match double in this match, while that will also help William O'Connor make amends for an early loss in his last European Tour appearance.

Krzysztof Ratajski v Callan Rydz: These two players met a few days ago on the floor and it ended in a win for Krzysztof Ratajski, although Callan Rydz will feel he played well enough to have produced a more competitive scoreline than the 6-2 defeat may have felt.

It is the third time Ratajski has gotten the better of this opponent in 2026 and all of those wins have been in Players Championship settings.

Callan Rydz only earned his place in this tournament after Gerwyn Price made a decision to withdraw, but his recent form has to be a little concerning.

Motivation of playing in front of a big crowd in the Evening Session should inspire a player who has a huge amount of potential to fulfil, but Callan Rydz will have to find a way to ruffle the feathers of a steady opponent.

This has not happened so far this season and Krzysztof Ratajski regularly enjoys his time on the European Tour and can move into the Second Round.

Joe Cullen - 1.5 legs v Adam Leek: He has dropped down to World Number 31 after more inconsistent results, but Joe Cullen should have enough to beat Adam Leek who has been struggling.

The latter did earn an upset over Ross Smith in the World Series events played Down Under, but Adam Leek failed to back that up and he returned to Europe to lose his opening match at both Players Championship events played this week.

It means Adam Leek has lost eight of the last nine matches played and confidence will be dented.

Joe Cullen is not always in the most confident mood when he steps onto stage and can quickly lose faith in his darts, but he is also a heavy scorer when at his best. The two performances at the Players Championship tournaments played earlier in the week were underwhelming, but Cullen can do just enough to edge this First Round match.

MY PICKS: William O'Connor to Win & Most 180s @ 2.75 Sky Bet (1 Unit)

Krzysztof Ratajski @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Joe Cullen - 1.5 Legs @ 1.66 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Darts 2026: 117-151, - 20.87 Units (265 Units Staked, - 7.88% Yield)