Michael Smith is in action at the Alexandra Palace on Wednesday night

PDC World Championship darts: Day nine predictions, odds, betting tips, accas, order of play & TV times

By Carl Fletcher

Darts

Wed December 23, 2020 · 5y ago

The second round of the PDC's William Hill World Darts Championship concludes on Wednesday and our guide includes the order of play, match-by-match previews, predictions, seasonal statistics, head-to-head records, odds and a suggested acca.

Follow @CarlyFletch on Twitter

Sixteen players are bidding to book a post-Christmas return to the Ally Pally as the second round concludes with eight matches across afternoon and evening sessions. Statistician and analyst Carl Fletcher is in the daily preview hotseat to look ahead to the action, involving the likes of Gary Anderson, Michael Smith and Nathan Aspinall.

Carl kept the tournament profits rolling in yesterday with his daily treble at 3.23/1 coming in as well as four correct best bets so let's hope for more of the same before the baton passes back to Chris Hammer for the action on December 27.

At the very bottom of this match-by-match guide are his graphics of every player's season stats as well as an additional one to chart how successful they've all been in achieving the 'Match Treble' in all their PDC matches this year (winning with the most 180s and highest checkouts).

World Championship: Wednesday December 23

TV Coverage: Sky Sports Darts (1200 & 1800 GMT)
Second Round: Best of 5 sets, no tie-breakers in any set

Wednesday darts accas

Suljovic & Smith both to win -1.5 Sets, Chisnall over 4.5 180’s & Bunting Most 180’s in his match at 4.43/1
Click here to build your acca

AFTERNOON SESSION (1200 GMT)

Ricky Evans (4/6) v Mickey Mansell (5/4)

Head to Head: 2-2

2020 Meetings: 0-1

PDC Titles this Season: 0-0 (TV: 0-0)

Career PDC Titles: 0-1 (TV: 0-0)

PDC World Championship Appearances: 5-5

PDC World Championship Best: Third Round (2020) – Second Round (2021)

The afternoon session kicks off with the 32nd seed Ricky Evans taking on Mickey Mansell in what promises to be a tight encounter.

Mansell came through his opening match in this event for the first time this year as he comfortably dispatched of Haupai Puha 3-0. He recorded a very good average of 93.94 and had an excellent doubles record at 56.25%.

A winner on the Players Championship Tour in 2018 where he amazingly won 26 out of 28 legs with the darts and included notable victories over Kim Huybrechts, Gerwyn Price and Adrian Lewis. Whilst he’s not quite reached those heights this year he did register a run to the Quarter Final on the Floor. He’s notched five ton plus averages throughout 2020 with a high of 106.66 to suggest on his day he is more than capable.

If you are less than impressed with the above then his opponent’s record in 2020 is no better. Although he came through a tough qualifier to make the televised stage of the Grand Slam of Darts Evans has not got any further than the Last 16 of any event this year. For as seeded player in this event that seems quite remarkable. He has only notched three ton plus averages with a best of 100.92.

Throughout the course of the season there is not much to choose between them on the stats either. The seed has a seasonal average of 91.27 and 180 per leg ratio of 0.24 whereas his opponent’s figures read 90.61 and 0.20.

They are 2-2 in their Head to Heads with Ricky Evans leading 1-0 on stage but Mansell leading 1-0 in 2020, a recent 6-5 victory at Players Championship 20.

I think the sedate pace of Mansell will effect ‘Rapid’ Ricky and with his opening round victory in the bag, given there’s not much to choose between them I’m happy to side with the outsider at the odds in this game.

Score Prediction: Ricky Evans 1-3 Mickey Mansell
Suggested Bet: Mickey Mansell to win 11/8

Gary Anderson (1/5) v Madars Razma (7/2)

Head to Head: 0-0
2020 Meetings: 0-0
PDC Titles this Season: 1-0 (TV: 0-0)
Career PDC Titles: 40 (TV: 15-0)
PDC World Championship Appearances: 11-1
PDC World Championship Best: Winner (2015, 2016) – Second Round (2021)

‘The Flying Scotsman’ comes into this event with a notable injury to contend with, which at the Grand Slam of Darts and the Players Championship Finals seemed to impact his performance. This, combined with a delayed appearance at this event due to him isolating, the question is how much will this hamper him?

Down to 13th seed this year, the previous back to back World Champion selectively chooses his tournaments nowadays. He only played fourteen of the twenty three Players Championship events this year and recorded his only win of the year in the first of these events in 2020.

He still however is a formidable talent with a seasonal average of 96.51 (9th best in 2020) and a 0.29 per leg 180 ratio demonstrating he is still up there with the best. His results on the whole reaffirm this too as he was runner up in the Matchplay, a Semi Finalist in The Masters and Premier League and a Quarter Finalist at the World Grand Prix. He exited at the fourth round stage last year – his worst effort since 2014 – but that was the hands of Nathan Aspinall, who performed excellently.

His Latvian opponent managed to overcome Toru Suzuki 3-2 in the opening round but the scoreline flattered him slightly as it was only 9-6 in legs, where he averaged 89.21 just below his seasonal average of 91.11.

This big Treble 19 hitter has picked up valuable televised experience in the Players Championship Finals, UK Open and World Cup of Darts in 2020. He has hit five 100+ averages this year and qualified for the final two Euro Tour events of 2020. The highlight of his campaign this year however was finishing Runner Up in Players Championship 14.

These all suggest he’s capable but plenty to find. Injured or not I expect Gary Anderson to come through this fairly unscathed and he’ll probably hope to put this match to bed fairly swiftly.

Score Prediction: Gary Anderson 3-0 Madars Razma
Suggested Bet: Gary Anderson to win 3-0 at 6/4

Stephen Bunting (8/11) v Andy Boulton (11/10)

Head to Head: 5-2
2020 Meetings: 1-0
PDC Titles this Season: 0-0 (TV: 0-0)
Career PDC Titles: 1-0 (TV: 0-0)
PDC World Championship Appearances: 6-2
PDC World Championship Best: Quarter Final (2015) – Second Round (2021)

Another game – as the betting suggests – that isn’t clear cut to call.

Stephen Bunting, the 2014 BDO World Champion has made six previous appearances in this event, with a Quarter Final in 2015 his best showing to date. Last year he had a decent run to the fourth round, where he was eventually dispatched 4-0 by MVG.

He missed the World Grand Prix due to a positive COVID test and his best effort in a major this year was a run to the Last 16 of the UK Open where he succumbed to Rob Cross. On the floor though he’s been much better with two Semi-Finals and two Quarter-Finals. He’s actually ran into the eventual winner in four of these twenty three events held in 2020.

A seasonal average of 93.42 and 0.25 180 per leg ratio are respectable stats, when you add this to the fact he’s also hit a plethora of 100+ averages this year, on his day he’s a match for anyone.

At times Andy Boulton has also played superb, particularly during the Autumn Series where at one stage he notched five 100+ average performances in seven matches although his best result this year came in the final Players Championship event of the year where he reached the Semi-Finals.

He’ll be pleased to have advanced to this round for the first time, beating Deta Hedman 3-1 in the opening round with a nervy display and an average of 90.65. His seasonal average is very similar to Bunting at 92.98 but he doesn’t boast the fire power on the 180 front, hitting them at just 0.14 per leg.

I expect the extra scoring power to give the seed the edge and combined with a superior 5-2 Head to Head record, including a 6-1 victory this year, I see him coming out on top in a five setter.

One angle to consider in this match his both win a decent percentage of legs with a 100+ outshot. Bunting at 12% and Boulton at 15%.

Score Prediction: Stephen Bunting 3-2 Andy Boulton
Suggested Bet: 3 or more 100+ checkouts in the match at 9/4

Mensur Suljovic (4/11) v Matthew Edgar (11/5)

Head to Head: 4-1
2020 Meetings: 0-1
PDC Titles this Season: 0-0 (TV: 0-0)
Career PDC Titles: 7-0 (TV: 1-0)
PDC World Championship Appearances: 10-2
PDC World Championship Best: Third Round (2011, 2016, 2018) – Second Round (2021)

Matthew Edgar was absolutely superb in the finishing department in his opening round 3-0 victory against Maik Kuivenhoven, with a tournament best of 75% (9/12) on his doubles. There was actually quite a lot to like about his victory as he always looked in control. That was the first time he made it through the opening round after losing to Darius Labanauskas twice in his two previous appearances at this event.

Although he made the Last 32 of the UK Open, he failed to qualify for any of the Euro Tour events and didn’t fare any better than the Last 32 on the Players Championship Tour. He came through the PDPA Qualifier to make it here and was very impressive there too averaging 92 or higher in all three matches. You have to give him credit and say his trajectory in the second half of this season is upward and he’s arguably slightly better than his seasonal average of 89.55 heading into this event suggests.

Mensur Suljovic will be wary of the threat Edgar carries and will be hoping to erase last year’s memorable defeat to Fallon Sherrock at this stage.

‘The Gentle’ is another player who has selected the events he’s participated in this year. He entered sixteen of the floor events, only falling at the first hurdle on three occasions and registering three Quarter Finals, a Semi-Final and a Runner-Up spot. Similarly his four Euro Tour events escapades are impressive as they read: Quarter Final, Last 16, Semi-Final and Semi-Final.

He hasn’t quite fared as well in the televised with a Quarter Final in the World Cup of Darts his best showing and numerous Last 16 exits.

The 2017 Champions League of Darts winner seasonal stats are still very good though. An average of 94.67, a 180 per leg ratio of 0.25 and winning 14.05% of legs with a ton plus out.

If Edgar can settle and take confidence from his first round victory and victory in their only meeting this year (6-4 at Players Championship 10) then this could be a nervy day for the Austrian. I expect him to come out on top though and feel he comes into this tournament still very capable and slightly underrated.

Score Prediction: Mensur Suljovic 3-1 Matthew Edgar
Suggested Bet: Mensur Suljovic to win the match, over 2.5 180’s and checkout over 96.5 at 5/4

EVENING SESSION (1800 GMT)

Dave Chisnall (1/3) v Keegan Brown (23/20)

Head to Head: 12-1
2020 Meetings: 0-0
PDC Titles this Season: 0-0 (TV: 0-0)
Career PDC Titles: 15-1 (TV: 0-0)
PDC World Championship Appearances: 9-5
PDC World Championship Best: Quarter Final (2017, 2019) – Third Round/Last 16 (2018)

Full credit to an emotional Keegan Brown for winning his opening match with Ryan Meikle at this years event with a very eye catching performance. The 3-0 scoreline flatters Brown but his statistics make for excellent reading: 93.81 average, 56.25% on his doubles and three 100+ finishes.

His dedication in working for the NHS through this pandemic (and ultimately lack of practice) has meant the 2014 World Youth Champion suffered numerous first round exits in event qualifiers and televised events including last year where he lost to Seigo Asada 2-3.

His season data was also down on previous years with an average of 91.59 and 180 per leg ratio of just 0.17. His finishing however has remained fairly consistent. 40% on his doubles and 12.45% of legs won with a 100+ outshot. If he can sustain his opening round form and finishing record he will have every chance however.

One thing he needs to overcome however is his miserable Head to Head record against ‘Chizzy’ who leads 12-1 and 3-0 on the big stage.

Chisnall, the 2010 BDO World Championship Runner Up will be hoping to emulate his previous best of a Quarter Final in this event and he’s in a section of the draw where he’s capable of doing just that.

He’s not claimed a Major TV title on the PDC yet but has been Runner Up previously in all the following: World Grand Prix (twice), Grand Slam of Darts, Players Championship Finals and Masters. 2020 has not been as strong a year as previous ones for ‘Chizzy’. A Semi-Final in the World Grand Prix his best effort on TV and a Runner Up (Players Championship 10) along with two further Quarter Finals on the floor.

He lost in a classic last year to Jeffrey De Zwaan where both players averages in excess of 100 and there’s been signs in recent months of this level returning with a 121.71 average against David Evans and 117.42 against John Henderson to his name.

His seasonal average of 93.88 his better than that of his opponent and his 180 per leg ratio of 0.32 means he’s still one of the games most prolific of 180 hitters (6th best in 2020).

Given their head to head record and the fact Keegan Brown has practiced much less I expect Chisnall to prevail here but his odds of 1/3 are not odds I’d be rushing to take especially if Brown’s resurgence continues here.

Score Prediction: Dave Chisnall 3-2 Keegan Brown
Suggested Bet: Dave Chisnall to hit over 5.5 180’s at 5/4

Jermaine Wattimena (1/3) v Nick Kenny (23/10)

Head to Head: 0-0
2020 Meetings: 0-0
PDC Titles this Season: 0-0 (TV: 0-0)
Career PDC Titles: 0-0 (TV: 0-0)
PDC World Championship Appearances: 6-0
PDC World Championship Best: Third Round (2019) – Debut

Nick Kenny came through what on paper seems a cagey affair with a 3 sets to 2 scoreline over Derk Telnekes in the battle of the two former BDO players. The legs scoreline suggests otherwise however as he ran out a facile 13-6 winner in this respect. His performance was nothing to shout home about with an average of 87.33 but he looked the player most in control and a sporadic burst here and there from Telnekes kept the game tighter than it was. His seasonal average of 90.07 tells us he’s better than we saw of him in the first round.

His best bits of this year were a Semi-Final in Players Championship 16 and coming through the PDPA Qualifier to get a spot here. Other than he lost in the Last 128 of the UK Open and failed to qualify for any of the Euro Tour events.

Dutchman Wattimena is yet to win a PDC title himself but on the Winter Series there was signs of him coming into form at exactly the right time. He was Runner Up at Players Championship 19 and backed this up with another Quarter Final in the five events.

In the last two years of this event he’s lost in absolute belters to Gary Anderson and Luke Humphries and theme has carried on in knockout stage matches in 2020, where his opponents have played superbly with averages of 108.96, 107.53, 102.15, 103.83, 107.60. The only time this didn’t occur was against Gerwyn Price in the double start World Grand Prix in the opening round but obviously the Welshman went on to lift the title, the luck of the draw certainly hasn’t been kind to him.

He’ll see this as an opportunity to advance here though. A season average of 93.77 puts him nearly 4 points ahead of his opponent and his doubling this year at 46.58% has been absolutely superb. He’s not the biggest of 180 hitters at 0.17, so his opponent’s superior rate of 0.24 per leg may be an area that we can exploit in the betting.
Score Prediction: Jermaine Wattimena 3-1 Nick Kenny
Suggested Bet: Jermaine Wattimena to win the match, Nick Kenny most 180’s at 15/8.

Nathan Aspinall (2/7) v Scott Waites (13/5)

Head to Head: 1-0
2020 Meetings: 1-0
PDC Titles this Season: 2-0 (TV: 0-0)
Career PDC Titles: 5-1 (TV: 2-1)
PDC World Championship Appearances: 2-0
PDC World Championship Best: Semi-Final (2019, 2020) – Debut

These two met recently on stage in the Players Championship Finals and it was ‘The Asp’ who came out on top. It wasn’t clear cut however and he survived match darts from Waites to prevail.

‘Scotty too Hotty’ won the Grand Slam in 2010 and has also won the BDO World Championship twice previously, most recently in 2019.

He was involved in arguably the match of the tournament in the opening round on his debut in this event as he beat Matt Campbell 3-2 in an absolute classic but he’s not had the greatest of years on the PDC circuit. He made no Quarter Finals on the floor, and his best in the majors this year have been Last 64’s. He did manage to qualify for two Euro Tour events but didn’t get past the Last 32 stage on either occasion. His seasonal average is 91.98 but he’s a big game player and knows how to get matches won in a set format.

The same can also be said of Aspinall. Two previous appearances in this event, two Semi-Finals, losing to the eventual runner up on both occasions.

In a short space of time he’s amassed five PDC titles, the pick being his UK Open triumph in 2019. Again he’s had a very good year. Two titles on the floor and some good stage performances. He was runner up in the Premier League, a Masters Semi-Finalist and a Quarter Finalist in the Grand Slam of Darts where he ended Gerwyn Price’s unbeaten run.

His season average dwarfs that of his opponent at 96.27 and he has a 180 per leg ratio of 0.28, both excellent.

I envisage another close match up with between these and can see ‘The Asp’ just coming through amid a huge scare. The first set could be crucial and both have been very quick at coming out the blocks, in fact Nathan Aspinall has the best record at leading after 4 legs out of all Tour Card Holders this year.

Score Prediction: Nathan Aspinall 3-2 Scott Waites.
Suggested Bet: Nathan Aspinall to win the first set 3-1 at 11/4

Michael Smith (1/7) v Jason Lowe (9/2)

Head to Head: 0-0
2020 Meetings: 0-0
PDC Titles this Season: 2-0 (TV: 0-0)
Career PDC Titles: 9-0 (TV: 1-0)
PDC World Championship Appearances: 9-0
PDC World Championship Best: Runner Up (2019) – Debut

Pretty much every event ‘Bully Boy’ plays he gets tipped up for as we’re all awaiting him collecting that first big major before going on to lift numerous more.

Perhaps 2020 will be his year? In this final match of the second round and the last before the Christmas break he would have hoped for a better opening round fixture however as his opponent Jason Lowe poses a big threat to him and the fact he lost in the opening round last year to an inspired Luke Woodhouse after losing in the final the year before to MVG, will be fresh in his mind.

Smith was a tad disappointing in the Premier League being eliminated easily before the Play-Offs but other than that he’s done well on the whole in 2020. Runner Up in The Masters to begin the year where he lost to the newly crowned World Champion, Peter Wright. He built on this further with Quarter Finals runs in the Grand Slam of Darts and Players Championship Finals, reaching the Semi Final of the Matchplay and was recently runner up in the World Cup of Darts, along with Rob Cross.

An emotional Smith was superb in the Winter Series claiming the opening two titles to demonstrate his good form, if 40 ton plus averages this year didn’t already underline that.

His West Midlands opponent will need to up his performance from his opening round games, where he beat Dmitriy Gorbunov 3-1, looking rattled, averaging just 86.72 and hitting just three of his sixteen darts at Double 20.

His seasonal averages suggest he’s capable as heading into this tournament it was 94.43. His results however have been a shade below what they should be. Four Last 16 runs on the floor are as good as it’s got as he fared no better than Last 32 in his three Euro Tour events, a similar story to his UK Open performance where he lost 10-9 to MVG having led 9-8.

His slow methodical style will certainly hinder the fast paced Smith and it wouldn’t be the biggest surprise to see him prevail but I expect that extra touch of class of the World Number 4 to be enough to see him come through a stern test.

Score Prediction: Michael Smith 3-1 Jason Lowe
Suggested Bet: Highest Checkout to be under 124.5 at 10/11

Season Statistics

To help you with your bets throughout the tournament, here are some excellent statistical graphs for every player in the field from Darts Tracker creator and Sporting Life contributor Carl Fletcher (@CarlyFletch & @Darts_Tracker on Twitter), while there is an additional graphic at the bottom charting each player’s frequency of bringing up the ‘Match Treble’ in PDC events this season. That is when they win, throw most 180s and hit the highest checkout. You can read more about Carl’s research on that by clicking here.

NB: Averages & 180 per leg data covers events except World Grand Prix (which is double-start and distorts figures), 100+ checkout % is all events, and doubles percentage is stage events only (majors and European Tour) because definitive double stats for Players Championship events aren't available.