World Matchplay Darts: Player-by-player guide to the 32-man field including MVG, Peter Wright, Gary Anderson and Gerwyn Price

• World Matchplay Draw, Schedule & TV Guide
• World Matchplay betting preview & tips
• Paul Nicholson's analysis
• Carl Fletcher's vital statistics
• Follow @ChrisHammer180 on Twitter

The second biggest major in darts will have a completely different feel to it than usual as 32 players head to Milton Keynes - rather than the iconic Winter Gardens in Blackpool - for a behind closed doors version at the Marshall Arena.

Nevertheless, having live top-class darts featuring the likes of Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright, Gerwyn Price, Gary Anderson and defending champion Rob Cross back on our TV screens is a huge boost for the sport's fans and there'll no doubt still be plenty of drama.

Here, our darts expert Chris Hammer brings you his player-by-player guide to the World Matchplay, which takes place from July 18-26, complete with predictions, facts, highlights & odds...

World Matchplay: The seeded players

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN

• Nickname: Mighty Mike
• Date of Birth: 25/04/1989
• Nationality: Dutch
• World Ranking/Seeding: 1
• Walk-on music: Seven Nation Army, White Stripes
• Sky Bet Odds: 6/4
• Career highlights: 3x World Champion (2014, 2017, 2019), 2x World Matchplay (2015, 2016), 5x Premier League (2013, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), 5x World Grand Prix (2012, 2014, 2016, 2018, 2019), 3x UK Open (2015, 2016, 2020), 3x Grand Slam of Darts (2015, 2016, 2017), 4x European Championship (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017), 5x Masters (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019), 5x Players Championship Finals ( 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019), 4x World Series of Darts Finals (2015, 2016, 2017, 2019), Champions League of Darts (2019), 3x World Cup winner (2014, 2017, 2018), 131 PDC titles overall
• This time last year? Odds-on favourite to win the title despite a few doubters circling after a ranking title drought of over two months and he crashed out in a second-round thriller to Glen Durrant.

The World Matchplay is one major that Michael van Gerwen has struggled to win since the second of his back-to-back titles in 2016, but his best form during the PDC Summer Series suggests he's in better form now than this time last year.

Two titles in the opening three days put him on course to top the Order of Merit - only for world champion Peter Wright to snatch it on the final day - and it shows just how hard he's been practicing in lockdown with his not so new darts anymore and hungry to get back on the trophy hunt that he never tires of.

Indeed, that's the part of van Gerwen - and the absolute standout icons of other sports - that fascinates me most. The never-ending desire for more when so many other talented stars get career fulfilment for far less. He's like a billionaire that doesn't yet feel rich enough - although this similar characteristic in a sportsperson is obviously far more admirable.

His Champions League of Darts triumph last year completed the set of PDC majors on his CV by the age of 30, while his triumph at the World Series Of Darts Finals brought up his 50th individual televised title, 14 years after his first as a teenager at the BDO World Masters, but just eight years after his second!

MVG missed out on the Grand Slam after finally losing to Gerwyn Price but he promptly got his revenge over the Welshman at the Players Championship Finals before repeating the trick to open his title account for 2020 at the UK Open, where he also hit a perfect leg with the darts some thought he may struggle with.

It was a shame we didn't see him during the PDC's Home Tour but to be fair, he did have his new baby to look after, dogs to feed...and cars to wash with Raymond van Barneveld.

The change of venue from the Winter Gardens and the lack of crowd won't bother him, but the main question is whether the sterile atmosphere makes the challenge of facing him less daunting for his opponents.

Verdict: Shouldn't have any problems with Brendan Dolan, who struggled during Summer Series, but a potential meeting with Ryan Joyce could be tricky - as would a quarter-final showdown with either Gary Anderson or James Wade. I'm putting my neck on the line and say he won't win it.

PETER WRIGHT

• Nickname: Snakebite
• Date of Birth: 10/03/1970
• Nationality: Scottish
• World Ranking/Seeding: 2
• Walk-on music: Don't Stop The Party, Pitbull
• Sky Bet Odds: 6/1
• World Matchplay best: Runner-up 2017
• Career highlights: World Champion (2020), Masters (2020), UK Open (2017), Premier League runner-up (2017), World Matchplay runner-up (2017), 27 non-major PDC titles including three World Series events. Fourth player ever to win 10 PDC tournaments in a calendar year (2017)
• This time last year? Had struggled for large periods of 2019 until bursting into form with three titles in a row as well as World Cup success with Gary Anderson. It helped him reach the quarter-finals before losing to Daryl Gurney in an epic.

It's been quite a 12 months since Peter Wright last competed in the World Matchplay and he's now firmly right up there with Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price in the 'best player in the world right now' debate.

Defeating his great rival MVG was the perfect way to fulfil his ambition of becoming world champion before he turned 50 and Snakebite swiftly followed that up with his third career major at the Masters - albeit with help from Michael Smith missing three title darts.

Wright's other two titles this year - either side of the darting calendar coming to a halt - were both achieved by beating Gerwyn Price in Players Championship finals, with the latter on Sunday seeing him top the Summer Series Order of Merit by a mere £500 ahead of MVG.

That was slightly ironic considering van Gerwen previously claimed the newly bespectacled Wright wasn't his biggest rival after edging him out in a deciding leg of Wednesday's opening event, and you can't rule out the possibility of these two meeting each other again for the 12th time in a televised final.

Verdict: Snakebite has a stinker of a first-round draw against Jose De Sousa and also has Glen Durrant, Daryl Gurney and Dave Chisnall in his quarter. Obviously has plenty in his favour to go the distance, but I'm favouring Gurney in the section.

GERWYN PRICE

• Nickname: The Iceman
• Date of Birth: 07/03/1985
• Nationality: Welsh
• World Ranking/Seeding: 3
• Walk-on music: Vanilla Ice, Ice Ice Baby
• Sky Bet Odds: 13/2
• World Matchplay best: Quarter-final 2015
• Career highlights: Grand Slam of Darts champion (2019, 2018), nine non-televised PDC titles
• This time last year? Had surged up the rankings to seven and was expected to go far but lost a thriller to Stephen Bunting in round one

Love him or hate him, Gerwyn Price has turned into a box office star over the past two seasons thanks to his showmanship, breathtaking performances and the number of classic encounters he's been involved in.

Only Michael van Gerwen (35) and Peter Wright (11) have won more titles since the start of 2018 as Price, who has collected nine of his 11 overall in this time, but it could easily be so much more.

The two-time Grand Slam of Darts king been involved in a pair of blockbuster finals with van Gerwen at the 2019 Players Championship Finals and this year's UK Open - losing both 11-9 - while he's been runner-up a further six occasions, including the 2019 European Championship against Rob Cross and the concluding Summer Series event to Wright.

While the pantomime boos - which used to be a lot worse - haven't adversely affected him too much on the big stages, the supportive crowd noise piped into the arena could work into his favour!

Well, that's assuming the PDC don't pipe in boos as well!

Verdict: The draw has been pretty kind to him, with Danny Noppert first up followed by either Adrian Lewis or Steve Beaton, who are both out of form. Nathan Aspinall or Ian White will probably be his quarter-final opponent and I expect him to win through and face Wright or Gurney for a place in the final.

ROB CROSS

• Nickname: Voltage
• Date of Birth: 21/09/1990
• Nationality: English
• World Ranking/Seeding: 4
• Walk-on music: Hot Hot Hot - Arrow
• Sky Bet Odds: 25/1
• Career highlights: World champion (2018), World Matchplay (2019), European Championship (2019), six other non-major PDC titles including Brisbane Darts Masters (2018)
• World Matchplay best: Winner (2019)
• This time last year? Despite boasting some of the best performance stats on tour, he hadn't won a title since the previous August until he arrived at the Winter Gardens. Then he put that right in major style.

It's remarkable to think that a player who has won three major titles - including the two biggest - in the space of just two and a half years is currently out of the picture when discussing the best in the world right now.

Indeed, he slipped down to fourth in the rankings after a poor World Championship and although this was followed by a stuttering start to the season as he seemingly struggled with his drastic intentional weight loss, he did at least hit a nine-darter on his way to reaching a Summer Series final, which he lost to James Wade.

That was the high point of a largely inconsistent week and won't make the pundits expand the 'big three' of Michael van Gerwen, Peter Wright and Gerwyn Price to include him.

The bookies won't either - they make the defending champion eighth in the betting behind Nathan Aspinall, Gary Anderson, Glen Durrant and Michael Smith, and Cross won't like that.

We've heard Voltage openly blast 'disrespectful' odds in previous post-match interviews after he's proved them wrong but the only way for him to keep cutting those down is to keep reproducing the magic we know he's capable of.

Verdict: Cross is in a very tough quarter, which includes Gabriel Clemens, Krzysztof Ratajski and Michael Smith so he needs to be near his best from the start.

MICHAEL SMITH

• Nickname: Bully Boy
• Date of Birth: 18/09/1990
• Nationality: English
• World Ranking/Seeding: 5
• Walk-on music: Shut Up & Dance, Walk The Moon
• Sky Bet Odds: 22/1
• World Matchplay best: Runner-Up 2019
• Career highlights: World Championship runner-up (2019), World Matchplay runner-up (2019) Premier League Darts runner-up (2018), World Youth champion (2013), winner of 10 non-major PDC senior titles including Shanghai Darts Masters (2018)
• This time last year? Pretty much cruised through to his third Triple Crown final but a bad start against Rob Cross cost him.

Without trawling back through every page of the darting history books, there can't be many other players who have reached the final of the three Triple Crown events yet are still searching for a first major title.

Widely regarded as one of the most naturally gifted players in the circuit, Michael Smith has been banging on the door for that breakthrough moment over the past few seasons, and has also lost finals of the 2018 World Series of Darts Finals and this year's Masters - both of which he lost in agonising last-leg deciders having missed match darts.

He's also been runner-up in four other events since his last PDC title in 2018, but perhaps the year of his first televised nine-darter will also see him open the floodgates to major honours. That's easier said than done, of course, given the rising standards of those below him in the rankings and it may become even harder to get those title-winning opportunities, but nobody can say he wouldn't deserve it.

Bully Boy revealed his secrets and motivations behind his dramatic weight loss in a recent Sporting Life interview, and insisted it won't affect his performances because it's all happened gradually in lockdown and practiced all the way through it.

Smith didn't sparkle during the Summer Series but he'd previously admitted there were elements of the new regulations of Players Championship days that might unsettle him at first and may need time to adjust, so expect to see a different player when he returns to the major setting, even without the fans.

Verdict: Should reach the quarter-finals at least, and his odds to win the whole event are generous. However, my expected opponent for him there - Krzysztof Ratajski - is a good outside quarter bet. To cut a long story short, I think he's a title winner or a QF exit!

NATHAN ASPINALL

• Nickname: The Asp
• Date of Birth: 15/07/1991
• Nationality: English
• Seeding/World Ranking: 6
• Walk-on music: Mr Brightside, The Killers
• Sky Bet Odds: 10/1
• World Matchplay best: First round (2019)
• Career highlights: UK Open champion (2019), winner of five non-major PDC titles including US Darts Masters (2019) and the PDC Home Tour (2020)
• This time last year? Made his World Matchplay debut after a rapid rise up the rankings but suffered a surprise first-round exit to Mervyn King

Nathan Aspinall has rocketed up the rankings faster than anyone else over the past 18 months and it will be a long time - if ever - before anyone can back the 2019 UK Open champion at 125/1 to win a major again! Who on earth did it the first time?! (cough, cough)?!

Since following that up by landing the US Darts Masters in sensational fashion, Aspinall made it back-to-back World Championship semi-finals and maintained the momentum into this season prior to lockdown with a pair of Players Championship titles.

He beat Gerwyn Price in his first final back in February then thrashed Michael van Gerwen 6-1 en route to his second a month later to take his career tally of PDC titles to five - and while all this was going on he made a great start to his maiden Premier League campaign.

Aspinall presented himself with a homemade winner's plate after becoming the inaugural champion of the PDC Home Tour, in which he won 11 of his 12 matches overall, and also enjoyed a pretty encouraging Summer Series, with a run to the semi-final on day two and quarter-final on day five.

A crucial factor in his rapid rise is the fact he's not yet had the pressure of defending big prize money on the rankings and that'll be no different this week in just his second World Matchplay outing.

Verdict: Can't see him slipping up against Dimitri van den Bergh but a potential clash with Ian White would be so close to call. In any case, I'm going for Gerwyn Price in this quarter.

DARYL GURNEY

• Nickname: SuperChin
• Date of Birth: 22/03/1986
• Nationality: Northern Irish
• World Ranking/Seeding: 7
• Walk-on music: Sweet Caroline, Neil Diamond
• Sky Bet Odds: 33/1
• Career highlights: World Grand Prix champion (2017), Players Championship Finals winner (2018), three non-televised PDC titles
• World Matchplay best: Semi-finals 2019, 2017
• This time last year? Came to Blackpool ranked fourth in the world with a maiden European Tour title under his belt and went on a superb run to the brink of the final before losing to Rob Cross.

Two of Daryl Gurney's World Matchplay performances last year hit the headlines; the quarter-final against Peter Wright for being one of 'the' matches of the season and then his agonising semi-final defeat to Rob Cross.

The 2017 World Grand Prix and 2019 Players Championship Finals champion Gurney was on the cusp of a third major final when leading 14-7 but managed to pick up one more leg in a loss that would have badly rocked him for the rest of the season.

Since then, however, he reached a World Series event final, won a Players Championship title last September and also enjoyed semi-final runs of the televised European Championship and this year's UK Open, while he finished ninth on the Summer Series Order of Merit after an encouraging last three days.

Not only is Gurney continually underrated by fans and experts alike due to the battling nature of his successes, but he's also a self-confessed negative thinker who openly questioned whether he deserved to be ranked as high as he once was. Don't be fooled by this. He has, after all, reached 11 major semi-finals in addition to his two big titles.

Prediction: I think he'll come through his mini section to set up a potential quarter-final meeting with Peter Wright, Jose De Sousa and Glen Durrant. As dangerous as those three are, Gurney makes an attractive 'to win his quarter' bet at the very least.

GARY ANDERSON

• Nickname: The Flying Scotsman
• Date of Birth: 22/12/1970
• Nationality: Scottish
• World Ranking/Seeding: 8
• Walk-on music: Jump Around, House of Pain
• Sky Bet Odds: 14/1
• Career highlights: 2x World Champion (2015, 2016), World Matchplay champion (2018), 2x Premier League champion (2011, 2015), UK Open champion (2018), Players Championship Finals champion (2014), Champions League of Darts winner (2018), 32 non-televised PDC titles, runner-up in 10 other major finals including the World Championship, World Grand Prix & Grand Slam of Darts
• This time last year? Headed to Blackpool as defending champion but injury problems ruined the first half of the season and he then crashed out to Mervyn King in the second round.

Two years on from his unforgettable World Matchplay triumph and his quarter-final nine-darter against Joe Cullen (which I frustratingly only heard due to interviewing Jeffrey de Zwaan on the same night!), Gary Anderson is now defending a heap of prize money and if it was anyone else in this situation, you'd probably assume they'd be feeling an extra element of pressure to avoid a further slide down the Order of Merit.

However, Anderson didn't get to legendary status with defensive thinking like that. His focus will be on winning yet another major solely for the glory and more riches rather than concerns about potentially dropping down to around 12th from eighth.

The Flying Scotsman began 2020 with a bang with a first title since the 2018 Champions League of Darts and during lockdown defied his own expectations by finishing runner-up in the Home Tour having previously sent social media into hysterics over his WiFi problems in Somerset.

Apart from reaching one semi-final during the Summer Series - when losing to eventual winner Ryan Joyce - Anderson endured a pretty poor five days in Milton Keynes but when have form lines ever been reliable evidence in his career?

Verdict: I strongly expect him to reach the quarters, where you'd think he meets Michael van Gerwen. Over a best of 31 legs, I'd have to side with the Dutchman.

JAMES WADE

• Nickname: The Machine
• Date of Birth: 06/04/1983
• Nationality: English
• Seeding/World Ranking: 9
• Walk-on music: The Boys Are Back In Town, Thin Lizzy
• Sky Bet Odds: 40/1
• Career highlights: World Matchplay champion (2007), Premier League champion (2009), 2x World Grand Prix champion (2007, 2010), 2x UK Open champion (2008, 2011), European Championship winner (2018), World Series of Darts Finals champion (2018), Masters champion (2014), 28 non-televised PDC titles, runner-up in 11 televised majors
• This time last year? Enjoyed a stunning first half of the season with four titles before Blackpool, but was soundly beaten by Glen Durrant in the quarter-finals.

One of the toughest challenges in darts is trying to predict which James Wade will show up.

The Machine is seemingly dismissed as often as he answers the critics with another title and there's been plenty of those in the past two years despite twice being left out of the Premier League line-up in 2018 and 2020.

Sure, he may not be regarded as the same kind of threat as he was when winning a whole host of majors between 2007 and 2011 but since bagging back-to-back majors at the 2018 European Championship and World Series of Darts Finals to end a near five-year drought since his last on TV, he's chalked up another six floor tournaments, including one at the Summer Series.

Only MVG (18) has picked up more winners' cheques in that exact time frame - with Wright and Price also managing eight - so he's still very much one of the best in the business when it comes to closing tournaments out. But his TV form was not so hot in 2019 and a poor World Championship led to his Premier League omission.

Verdict: I never back James Wade. Not because I doubt he can win, but because he's too hard to call. My better excuse this time is that he's in the same quarter as Gary Anderson and Michael van Gerwen.

DAVE CHISNALL

• Nickname: Chizzy
• Date of Birth: 12/09/1980
• Nationality: English
• Seeding/World Ranking: 10
• Walk-on music: Dizzy, Vic Reeves & Wonderstuff
• Sky Bet Odds: 33/1
• World Matchplay best: Quarter-Final x 5 (2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018)
• Career highlights: World Grand Prix runner-up (2019, 2013), Grand Slam of Darts runner-up (2014), Masters runner-up (2016), Players Championship Finals runner-up (2016), winner of 15 non-televised PDC titles
• This time last year? Looked in good form thanks to a first European Tour title since 2013 but crashed out to Max Hopp in round one.

I always start Chizzy's profile with "still waiting for his maiden televised title" but I think even those who have never watched darts may have picked up on that by now.

Since his last World Matchplay appearance, the popular St Helens man reached his sixth major televised final - and fifth in the PDC - after a string of fine displays at the World Grand Prix, but he got blown away by Michael van Gerwen 5-2 despite only averaging one point lower with 93.

It pretty much summed up his career when it comes to the biggest events; does so well to get to a final, but always runs into a legend in ruthless form. First it was Martin Adams in the 2010 BDO World Championship final (7-5), then it was Phil Taylor in the 2013 World Grand Prix (6-0) and 2014 Grand Slam of Darts (16-13) before MVG denied him glory in the 2016 Masters (11-6) and 2016 Players Championship Finals (11-3).

There's no element of choking about it.

Chisnall may not have won a title since the Danish Open in June 2019 but he did reach four more ProTour finals in the remainder of the year, including at the Gibraltar Darts Open where he hit a nine-darter.

After showing off his impressive darts cabin during the Home Tour, he took that form into the Summer Series and made another final on day two. He should have won his 16th career title, too. He led Ryan Joyce 7-3 and missed four match darts at 7-6 up before losing 8-7.

Verdict: There wouldn't be a dry eye in houses watching the darts if Chizzy went the distance but I think it'll be a second-round exit for him at the hands of Daryl Gurney.

IAN WHITE

• Nickname: Diamond
• Date of Birth: 17/08/1970
• Nationality: English
• Seeding/World Ranking: 11
• Walk-on music: Play That Funky Music, Wild Cherry
• Sky Bet Odds: 40/1
• World Matchplay best: Quarter-Final (2015)
• Career highlights: Winner of 13 non-televised PDC titles, including three European Tour events
• This time last year? Was in great form heading to Blackpool and then thrashed Joe Cullen in round one. But he blew a 9-4 lead against Stephen Bunting in the second.

Ian White is currently vying with Dave Chisnall and Michael Smith as the best active player never to have won a major but he obviously has less time on his side than the St Helens aces to remove himself from the reckoning.

However, at 49, the veteran Stoke thrower is more like a fine wine based on the consistently high stats he continues to weigh in with as well as the titles he keeps picking up and there wouldn't be many more popular champions in the eyes of most ardent darts fans.

Many of those believe this could be the perfect opportunity for him due to the lack of a real crowd and the usual razzmatazz that goes with the big televised event while I doubt he's particularly going to miss the Winter Gardens having only gone beyond the second round once in eight previous appearances. Last year was particularly galling for him when he crumbled after building a 9-4 lead over Stephen Bunting only to lose 14-12.

White's 2020 had been going well before lockdown having picked up a 10th Players Championship title of his career but he probably expected more success at the Summer Series, where he reached a semi-final on one day but failed to sparkle on the others.

This whole issue about him not producing his best on stages is a bit of an odd one when you consider that he won back-to-back European Tour events last year against Peter Wright and MVG in last leg deciders noless, but you can't ignore his TV form. Whereas he's phenomenal on the floor and European Tour events away from live cameras, his solitary major semi-final run at last year's Players Championship Finals just doesn't do his talents justice and the longer it goes on must make it harder.

Obviously the World Matchplay is televised but it shouldn't have the same kind of pressures. That said, we thought that at the 2018 UK Open behind closed doors but when the draw had really opened up for him, he lost to Robert Owen in round four.

Verdict: Diamond will be secretly pleased to have drawn an out of sorts Joe Cullen in round one but his potential second round meeting with Nathan Aspinall should be a cracker. However, I think Gerwyn Price will beat the victor.

MENSUR SULJOVIC

• Nickname: The Gentle
• Date of Birth: 05/03/1972
• Nationality: Austrian
• Seeding/World Ranking: 12
• Walk-on music: Simply The Best, Tina Turner
• Sky Bet Odds: 50/1
• World Matchplay best: Runner-up 2018
• Career highlights: Champions League of Darts winner (2017), World Matchplay runner-up (2018) winner of six other non-major PDC titles, including the televised German Darts Masters (2018)
• This time last year? Arrived in Blackpool on the back of a solid season but couldn't repeat the magic of 12 months earlier as he fell in the last 16 to James Wade.

Mensur Suljovic is back to the kind of big prices he was before he defied pre-tournament odds of 40/1 to win the Champions League of Darts in 2017 and he returns to Milton Keynes under the radar somewhat.

After quiet start to the season - apart from a couple of quarter-finals on the ProTour - the Gentle was one of the high profile absentees from the PDC's Home Tour and given his lack of presence in the media, we can only assume he'd been working hard on the practice board.

The 2018 World Matchplay runner-up reached a quarter-final on the opening day of the Summer Series and went one step further 48 hours later only to lose 7-2 against Rob Cross, who averaged 110 as well as throwing a nine-darter, but Suljovic isn't in the type of form that suggests he can mount a challenge like he did two years ago.

Suljovic did win two events towards the back end of last season, including his home event of the Austrian Darts Championship thanks to an emotionally charged last-leg decider against Michael van Gerwen, but his 2019 will be mainly remembered, of course, for being one of Fallon Sherrock's history-making victims.

Verdict: May well struggle in the opener against Jamie Hughes but if he gets through that, I'd expect his run to be ended by Michael Smith.

KRZYSZTOF RATAJSKI

• Nickname: The Polish Eagle
• Date of Birth: 01/01/1977
• Nationality: Polish
• World Ranking/Seeding: 13
• Walk-on music: Whatever You Want by Status Quo
• Sky Bet Odds: 40/1
• World Matchplay best: Second round (2019)
• Career highlights: Winner of seven non televised PDC titles, including one European Tour event
• This time last year? Qualified for his debut after a superb run of form, beat Darren Webster comfortably in round one but was bundled out by Rob Cross

Krzysztof Ratajski has fittingly soared up the rankings like his nickname since the start of his maiden season as a Tour Card holder in 2019 but he'd already let the secret about his dangerous talents out of the bag before that.

The 2017 BDO World Masters champion spent most of 2018 ripping up the Challenge Tour and qualifying for a number of European Tour events having failed at Q School in the January, but he sensationally won three floor titles out of the 10 opportunities he got to compete on the main PDC tour.

This included two in a row during a glorious Players Championship double-header weekend towards the end of the year in Barnsley and he continued to take the circuit by storm last year with three more winner's cheques and qualification for his World Matchplay debut.

Back in February he pipped Ian White in a last-leg decider to take his tally of PDC titles to eight which is astonishing when you think that only Michael van Gerwen (35, including 10 non-ranking), Peter Wright (11, including three non-ranking) and Gerwyn Price (9) have won more since the start of 2018. And, as previously mentioned, Ratajski didn't even have a tour card for 2018!

Gary Anderson and James Wade also have eight but both of their tallies include the kind of lucrative non-raking events that the Polish Eagle hasn't been involved in yet.

The question mark concerns his ability to shine on the televised stage environment having only shown a few flashes of brilliance in those arenas but he did win a European Tour event last year in Gibraltar and perhaps this more sterile setting of the Marshall Arena will be more suited to him, even with piped in crowd noise.

I don't really think a big atmosphere bothers him anyway. I watched him closely from near the stage during his incredible World Championship clash with Nathan Aspinall back in December and he coped brilliantly despite the crowd being so strongly in his opponent's favour. He never went away, showed plenty of passion himself and was merely pipped by an extremely gutsy and talented rival.

He showed some decent form here during the Summer Series, especially on the opening day when averaging over 105 three times in six matches, including during a semi-final defeat to Peter Wright, and I think he's ready to potentially break his major duck.

Verdict: At least the quarter-finals, where he should meet Michael Smith, and I'd back the winner of this to go on and reach the final, even though they could meet MVG in the semis.

ADRIAN LEWIS

• Nickname: Jackpot
• Date of Birth: 21/01/1985
• Nationality: English
• World Ranking/Seeding: 14
• Walk-on music: Papa's Got a Brand New Pigbag, Pigbag
• Sky Bet Odds: 80/1
• World Matchplay best: Runner-up (2013)
• Career highlights: 2x World Champion (2011, 2012), UK Open champion (2014), European champion (2013), 4x World Cup winner (2012, 2013, 2015, 2016), 18 other PDC titles, runner-up in 10 majors including 2011 Premier League & 2016 World Championship
• This time last year? Lost in the first round to debutant Glen Durrant

It looked as though Adrian Lewis was on an upward curve again during 2019 after a worrying spell in the doldrums which has seen him miss out on a Premier League spot for the past three years.

It seems a long time ago now since he claimed we were in the "Era of the Jackpot" following his second of two world titles in 2012 although his really difficult spell only started in 2017 despite winning a Players Championship event that year.

He finally got back in the winners' enclosure for the first time since then at another floor event in March 2019, when beating Raymond van Barneveld, and the rest of the year was littered with encouraging quarter-final and semi-final runs.

Even at the start of the year he beat Rob Cross in the opening round of the Masters and then reached the last four of the first Players Championship of the season, losing to eventual winner Gary Anderson.

However, despite looking positive, fitter and revived ahead of the Summer Series, he managed to win just two games in four days before withdrawing from the final event due to personal reasons. Let's hope this was merely rustiness.

Verdict: From what we saw at the Summer Series, it's hard to expect a lengthy run in the same arena, but thankfully for him, Steve Beaton didn't look great either. A second-round exit to Gerwyn Price is my call.

GLEN DURRANT

• Nickname: Duzza
• Date of Birth: 24/11/1970
• Nationality: English
• World Ranking/Seeding: 15
• Walk-on music: Pump It Up - Endor
• Sky Bet Odds: 22/1
• World Matchplay best: Semi-final (2019)
• Career highlights: Three-time BDO World Champion (2017, 2018, 2019), winner of six other BDO majors, winner of two non-televised PDC titles
• This time last year? An incredible start to his maiden PDC season earned him a spot at the Matchplay, where he beat MVG en route to the semi-finals.

The fact Glen Durrant is seeded for the World Matchplay in just his second season as a PDC player just shows how brilliantly he's handled all the attention and debate about whether he could cut it in the 'big time'.

Not that there were any real doubters among the pundits, analysts and knowledgable darting fanbase, but that doesn't mean there wasn't a looming wave of pressure poised to crash over him had he struggled to make an impact. He'll be the first to admit he felt it during his struggles at Q School.

But after that he reached a final in his second tournament, won his fourth and then defeated Michael van Gerwen in their first ever meeting en route to claiming his second title of the season.

This all helped him surge into the World Matchplay field, where he again overcame MVG in an all-time Winter Gardens classic on his way to the first of three major semi-final appearances and his reactions and emotions were a joy to behold. He was living the dream and took millions along for the ride.

Such are his high standards, Duzza was obviously deflated to miss out on the Matchplay, World Grand Prix and the Grand Slam of Darts finals but these stellar performances - as well as his World Championship quarter-final run - made it an absolute no brainer to include him in the Premier League, which he currently leads.

The popular Teessider, who keeps his followers entertained on social media, has also reached four quarter-finals on the ProTour this season, including two at the Summer Series, and he remains the only player in the field who can say they've not lost to MVG.

Verdict: Nobody should rule Duzza out of the reckoning but he just happens to be in a quarter where I favour Daryl Gurney. He'll see off Jeffrey de Zwaan first up and his next match will be a cracker, whether it's Wright or De Sousa.

SIMON WHITLOCK

• Nickname: The Wizard
• Date of Birth: 03/03/1969
• Nationality: Australian
• World Ranking/Seeding: 16
• Walk-on music: Down Under, Men at Work
• Sky Bet Odds: 125/1
• World Matchplay best: Semi-Final x 2 (2010, 2014)
• Career highlights: European champion (2012), World Championship runner-up (2010), Premier League runner-up (2012), winner of 15 non-televised TV titles
• This time last year? Battled past John Henderson in round one but was then thrashed by Peter Wright for the second year in a row.

The Wizard will soon be sliding out of the top 16 unless he conjures up some of his old magic to repeat his 2018 run to the quarter-finals but that doesn't look too likely given his form and the draw.

Whitlock, whose sole major came back in 2012, hasn't won a title of any kind since 2017 and his lowly position of 46th on the one-year ProTour Order of Merit is a key indicator of his consistency, even with the caveat that he was unable to defend around £11,000 worth of prize money during the lockdown period. He wasn't, after all, the only one to suffer.

The Aussie went into the Summer Series knowing his World Matchplay spot was at risk if he fell out of the top 16 in the main Order of Merit, and having only managed one run to the last 32, his skin was ultimately saved by the likes of Stephen Bunting and Chris Dobey not doing enough to climb above him.

Verdict: Many will tip Summer Series event winner Ryan Joyce to beat him in round one, but even those who don't won't expect him to get past MVG. Neither do I.

Unseeded qualifiers in world ranking order

JOE CULLEN

• Nickname: The Rockstar
• Date of Birth: 13/07/1989
• Nationality: English
• World Ranking: 18
• Walk-on music: Don't Look Back in Anger, Oasis
• Sky Bet Odds: 100/1
• World Matchplay best: Quarter-final (2018)
• Career highlights: Winner of three non-televised PDC titles, including one European Tour event
• This time last year? Suffered a shocking 10-0 defeat to Ian White in round one

Joe Cullen is still best remembered for 'that' World Matchplay quarter-final against Gary Anderson and who knows where his career would have soared to if he'd managed to sink one of his two match darts - the second of which disrupted by a fateful fly.

The atmosphere created by the pair - with Cullen also managing a 170 checkout - will never be forgotten by those in attendance and showed why darts would be better off with the Rockstar challenging more often at the highest level.

In a recent interview he said: "That was the first time when people saw what I can play like on TV, but for whatever reason I've not done it enough since."

He suffered more agonisingly heartbreak later that year in the European Championship when blowing a 10-7 lead - as well as missing a match dart - to lose 11-10 against Simon Whitlock and since then he's not reminded the televised audience what he can do.

Last year he was destroyed 10-0 in an awkwardly one-sided clash with Ian White in which he missed all 10 of his darts at doubles, but he bounced back a couple of months later to win his maiden European Tour title.

His pre-lockdown form was fairly promising with a couple of quarter-final runs and he also impressed during the PDC Home Tour, but he was alarmingly out of sorts at the Summer Series, managing just three wins across all five days.

Verdict: One day he can be fantastic but I just feel Ian White will be too strong for him in round one based on current form and pedigree.

JONNY CLAYTON

• Nickname: The Ferret
• Date of Birth: October 4 1974
• Nationality: Welsh
• World Ranking: 20
• Walk-on music: Johnny B. Goode - Chuck Berry
• Sky Bet Odds: 80/1
• World Matchplay best: Last 32 (2019, 2018)
• Career highlights: Players Championship Finals runner-up (2017), winner of three non-televised PDC titles
• This time last year? Wasn't in the best of stage form when arriving in Blackpool and lost in the opening round to Keegan Brown.

The Welshman was ranked as high as 14th this time last year having continued his trend of winning a title in every calendar year since the start of 2017, but despite being six places lower now, he has plenty of reasons for optimism.

The main reason for his initial slide down to 24th was a first round exit at the 2019 Players Championship Finals, when he was defending £40,000 of ranking points from his run to the final two years earlier.

He made a chunk of that up at this season's UK Open when his nine-dart heroics against Chris Dobey and his nail-biting 10-9 victory over Jamie Hughes saw him reach the semi-finals, where he lost soundly to Gerwyn Price.

He impressed during the Home Tour to finish third in the Championship Group but looked rusty during the Summer Series and will need to up his game to cause Michael Smith problems in the opening round.

Verdict: First-round exit.

JEFFREY DE ZWAAN

• Nickname: The Black Cobra
• Date of Birth: 26/03/1996
• Nationality: Dutch
• World Ranking: 21
• Walk-on music: Rocking With The Best - Deepack
• Sky Bet Odds: 125/1
• World Matchplay best: Semi-finals (2018)
• Career highlights: Winner of two non-televised PDC titles
• This time last year? Unable to recreate the magic of a year earlier as he lost a dramatic sudden death leg to James Wade in round one.

Ever hear the story about journalists who missed Gary Anderson's iconic nine-darter because they were interviewing Jeffrey de Zwaan in the media zone!?

Since his career-changing run to the 2018 World Matchplay semi-finals, which started with a shock triumph over MVG, the young Dutchman hasn't managed to reach the same kind of heights but he did win his second PDC title at a Players Championship event last year - a few weeks after reaching a final - and was involved in a couple of crackers at the Ally Pally last December.

After averaging 106.09 in a breathtaking 4-3 victory over Dave Chisnall, he lost by the same scoreline to Peter Wright in the quarter-finals but at least the experience seemed to put him back on the right path.

De Zwaan made a sluggish start to the season before lockdown and failed to shine during the Summer Series so I'm sceptical about his chances against Glen Durrant in round one.

Verdict: Early exit.

JERMAINE WATTIMENA

• Nickname: Machine Gun
• Date of Birth: 09/03/1988
• Nationality: Dutch
• World Ranking: 23
• Walk-on music: Trumpets - Sak Noel & Sean Paul
• Sky Bet Odds: 200/1
• World Matchplay best: Last 32 (2018)
• Career highlights: World Grand Prix quarter-finals (2019)
• This time last year? Thrashed 10-1 by Mensur Suljovic in round one

Blink and you'll miss most of his matches, such is the speed at which the Machine Gun fires.

Jermaine Wattimena has been climbing the rankings pretty briskly - but not as quickly as his throw - over the past couple of years and in 2019 made the most of Raymond van Barneveld's decline to earn a spot in the Netherlands' World Cup team alongside Michael van Gerwen.

There he reached the semi-finals but individually his best individual runs so far both came in 2019 when finishing runner-up in two Players Championship events; firstly to his Dutch team-mate in his first ever Pro Tour final and then to Brendan Dolan last August.

Overall he's pretty inconsistent and while we did see what he can be capable of when beating Adrian Lewis and Peter Wright en route to the World Grand Prix quarter-finals, he didn't look very sharp during the Summer Series, winning just 10 matches in total and failing to average over 100 in any of them.

Verdict: First-round exit to Krzysztof Ratajski

DANNY NOPPERT

• Nickname: Noppie
• Date of Birth: 31/12/1990
• Nationality: Dutch
• World Ranking: 24
• Walk-on music: High Hopes - Panic at the Disco
• Sky Bet Odds: 200/1
• World Matchplay best: First round (2019)
• Career highlights: Winner of one BDO major (Zuiderduin Masters 2017) and winner of one non-televised PDC title
• This time last year? Soundly beaten by Gary Anderson in the first round of his debut

Danny Noppert knew his future was going to be in the PDC when he reached the Lakeside final in 2017 and 12 months later he'd earn a Tour Card through Q School.

It didn't take long for him to find his rhythm with several strong showings on the European Tour before he won a maiden Pro Tour title in September 2018 and then going on to reach the semi-finals of the televised Players Championship Finals.

Since then, Noppie has consistently climbed the rankings by virtue of a string of steady ProTour runs without having to defend any prize money until this season but he struggled on the TV stage until reaching the climax of the 2019 World Series of Darts Finals, where he lost to MVG after coming through two last-leg deciders against Ian White and Dave Chisnall.

Noppert, who also beat Gary Anderson in that run, showed some flashes of brilliance during the Summer Series with a couple of sky high averages, including a 109 in a spectacular match with Jose De Sousa, but he lacked consistency.

Verdict: Bows out to Gerwyn Price in round one.

STEVE BEATON

• Nickname: The Bronzed Adonis
• Date of Birth: 05/04/1964
• Nationality: English
• World Ranking: 25
• Walk-on music: Stayin' Alive, Bee Gees
• Sky Bet Odds: 300/1
• World Matchplay best: Semi-final (2001)
• Career highlights: BDO world champion (1996), European Championship runner-up (2009), winner of four non-televised PDC titles
• This time last year? Knocked out by MVG in the opening round

As far as smooth operators go in darts, the Bronze Adonis is not only the original and best, but he's still going strong at 56 years old.

His throw is as sublime as ever but although it's helped him maintain a lofty enough ranking to qualify for every possible World Matchplay and World Championship since Blackpool 2001 - an incredible achievement - it'd have been great to see him win a couple more titles before he retires.

The popular Englishman's last taste of glory came during a mini renaissance in 2017 when beating Gary Anderson in a Players Championship final while over the past two seasons he's reached seven quarter-finals, including the 2019 UK Open, and a semi-final on the European Tour later that year.

Two of those quarter runs came prior to lockdown but he won just four matches during the Summer Series and was quite fortunate to cling onto his 20th successive World Matchplay spot.

Verdict: Both he and Adrian Lewis were in poor form during the Summer Series so whoever comes through this will probably lose to Gerwyn Price.

DIMITRI VAN DEN BERGH

• Nickname: The Dreammaker
• Date of Birth: 08/07/1994
• Nationality: Belgian
• World Ranking: 26
• Walk-on music: Happy, Pharrel Williams
• Sky Bet Odds: 100/1
• World Matchplay best: Debut
• Career highlights: Two-time World Youth champion (2017, 2018)
• This time last year? Didn't qualify

Dimitri van den Bergh is preparing for his World Matchplay debut after holding on to his qualifying spot during the Summer Series but he'll need to improve markedly on his performances in Milton Keynes last week if he's to make it a memorable one.

The two-time world youth champion headed to the Marshall Arena as one of the players in a catchable position on the ProTour Order of Merit and three first-round exits out of five would have put his place in jeopardy had more players below him stepped up.

Van den Bergh, who reached the World Championship quarter-finals for the second time in his young career back in December and also the same stage of this year's UK Open, clearly enjoys performing on the big televised stage so it will be interesting to see how he copes in a major environment without a real crowd.

Verdict: Most signs point to a first-round exit at the hands of Nathan Aspinall, who defeated him 5-3 at the Ally Pally.

RICKY EVANS

• Nickname: Rapid
• Date of Birth: 29/07/1990
• Nationality: English
• World Ranking: 27
• Walk-on music: YMCA
• Sky Bet Odds: 300/1
• World Matchplay best: First round (2019)
• Career highlights: Runner-up in three non televised PDC events since start of 2018
• This time last year? Lost in the first round of his debut to Daryl Gurney

Ricky Evans is quite the character.

Evans is obviously one of the fastest throwers around but he's shown over the past couple of seasons that he's determined to be known for more than that as he strives to claim a maiden PDC title.

Since September 2018, he's reached three finals and the fact two of those came on the European Tour shows he's beginning to show his darting talents in front of the crowds rather than his humour. If he combines the two together more as the years go on then he could easily become a household name beyond the darting fanbases.

Evans was one of two players to climb into the World Matchplay qualification spots from the outside during Summer Series although unlike Ryan Joyce, he did so unspectacularly and clung onto the last available place on day five.

As for his personality, the following clips do it justice more than any words. It's just a shame he has no crowd to play up to this week...

Verdict: Opens up against Daryl Gurney, who I'm backing to go far.

KEEGAN BROWN

• Nickname: The Needle
• Date of Birth: 05/11/1992
• Nationality: English
• World Ranking: 30
• Walk-on music: The Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop
• Sky Bet Odds: 300/1
• World Matchplay best: Last 16 (2015)
• Career highlights: World Youth Champion (2014), Winner of one non-televised PDC event
• This time last year? Edged out by Daryl Gurney 11-9 in an entertaining second-round clash

Not to be confused with Arya Stark's weapon of choice in Game of Thrones, The Needle hasn't exactly fulfilled his promise since become world youth champion four years ago but he's turned into a reliable performer on tour.

The actual meaning of his nickname was explained to the masses during lockdown when he hit the headlines for working extra hours in his usual job for the NHS in a blood-science lab on the Isle of Wight (which isn't north of the Wall) to help with the pandemic.

As a result, he was probably unable to put in as much practice hours as his rivals and he only won three matches during the Summer Series.

Brown did reach three semi-finals in 2019, with two of those coming on the European Tour, but the last of those was June so he'll need to rediscover that kind of form if he's to challenge for his maiden PDC title again.

Verdict: A first-round exit looms against James Wade, who is in much better post-lockdown form.

BRENDAN DOLAN

• Nickname: The History Maker
• Date of Birth: 02/08/1973
• Nationality: Northern Ireland
• World Ranking: 34
• Walk-on music: I'm Shipping Up to Boston by Dropkick Murphys
• Sky Bet Odds: 300/1
• World Matchplay best: Second round (2013, 2015, 2016)
• Career highlights: World Grand Prix runner-up (2011), winner of seven non-televised PDC titles
• This time last year? Failed to qualify for the third year in a row

Brendan Dolan is preparing for his first World Matchplay since 2016 having bounced back to prominence over the past 12 months after a few seasons in the doldrums struggling with a loss of form and confidence.

The Northern Irishman comfortably qualified via the one-year ProTour Order of Merit thanks largely to ending his five-year title drought in style by winning two Players Championship events between August and October while he also managed to make another final on the last weekend before lockdown, losing to Nathan Aspinall.

After his most recent title, he said: "I was determined to add money to my ranking to give me shot of qualifying for the 2020 World Matchplay and World Grand Prix. I've missed those two events for the last three years and it's killed me not being there, so hopefully next year I will be."

Now he's achieved the first goal, will he make the most of it? At the Summer Series he only managed to claim six wins across the week and only recorded one 100+ average, so he'll need to improve drastically to stun Michael van Gerwen over a best of 19 legs.

Verdict: First-round exit

VINCENT VAN DER VOORT

• Nickname: The Dutch Destroyer
• Date of Birth: 18/12/1975
• Nationality: Dutch
• World Ranking: 33
• Walk-on music: Give It Up by K.C. & The Sunshine Band
• Sky Bet Odds: 300/1
• World Matchplay best: Quarter-finals (2009)
• Career highlights: Winner of five non televised PDC titles
• This time last year? Back in Blackpool for the first time since 2016 but suffered a first-round exit to Peter Wright.

His name lends itself to one of the most crowd-pleasing chants in the game so let's hope the PDC are at least able to pipe that into the Marshall Arena during his matches next week.

The Dutch Destroyer, who could have been a professional tennis player in the 1990s, had endured a tough spell in his recent career until a run to the third round of the 2019 World Championship, where he lost an absolute thriller to Chris Dobey, restored belief that he could still operate at the highest level.

Since then van der Voort has gone as deep as the quarter-finals four times on the ProTour and also the last eight of last October's European Championship but he hasn't sparkled in 2020 before or after lockdown.

After the Summer Series he told AD.nl: “It was a bit of a shock after four months of doing nothing, I am not very fond of online darts and therefore lacked rhythm. I’m going to prepare well this week to see if I can get a little better again."

Verdict: Could post Dave Chisnall some problems but ultimately Chizzy should prevail.

JAMIE HUGHES

• Nickname: Yozza
• Date of Birth: 27/02/1986
• Nationality: English
• World Ranking: 35
• Walk-on music: "Hi Ho Silver Lining" by Jeff Beck
• Sky Bet Odds: 150/1
• World Matchplay best: Making his debut
• Career highlights: 10 titles in the BDO including Zuiderduin Masters (2014), winner of one non-televised PDC title
• This time last year? Dramatically qualified thanks to winning Czech Darts Open but bowed out on debut to Michael Smith in round one

It was an incredible achievement for Jamie Hughes - as it would be for anyone - to qualify for the World Matchplay in his first season as a PDC Tour Card holder and 12 months on he's repeated the feat without the last-ditch drama.

Last year he headed into the final event before the cut off - the Czech Darts Open - knowing he had to not only reach his first PDC final but also win it. He did just that to bank a career-enhancing £25,000 cheque and from there he also went on to earn his place at the World Grand Prix, European Championship and Grand Slam of Darts.

His continued consistency on the circuit meant he didn't need to set the Marshall Arena alight during the Summer Series to comfortably hold onto his Matchplay spot and now he'll be eager to go at least one step further than his debut appearance.

The Tipton ace really should be standing here as a major semi-finalist having missed eight match darts in a heartbreaking last leg decider with Jonny Clayton at the UK Open back in March but with his talents, there will be other chances to come.

Verdict: I'll back him to see off Mensur Suljovic in the opening round but he'd then be facing a player I'm favouring to go far in Michael Smith.

GABRIEL CLEMENS

• Nickname: German Giant
• Date of Birth: 16/08/1983
• Nationality: German
• World Ranking: 40
• Walk-on music: Wonderwall, Oasis
• Sky Bet Odds: 66/1
• World Matchplay best: Debut
• Career highlights: German Darts Masters Runner-up 2019
• This time last year? Was showing signs of promise but not in World Matchplay qualification running

I doubt many purists would disagree that Gabriel Clemens is the unofficial number one in German darts right now despite being ranked 12 places below Max Hopp on the Order of Merit.

Stats and results wise, the German Giant is upping the frequency of his big performances and during the Summer Series he enjoyed a superb run to the semi-finals on day one before eventual champ Michael van Gerwen beat him with a 107 average.

The other four tournaments last week flagged up his inconsistency but this is still relatively the early stages of his presence at this level of the sport and he'll only get stronger over the coming seasons.

He's reached three finals since earning his Tour Card at the start of 2018 - albeit none this year - as he strives for his maiden title while his career high point was finishing runner-up to Peter Wright in front of his own fans at the German Darts Masters. He was 80/1 before that event, but I have to say there were some tipsters who saw it coming...

Verdict: Every intriguing clash with Rob Cross first up which really could go either way. Whoever wins, however, I'd expect to lose to Krzysztof Ratajski in round one.

RYAN JOYCE

• Nickname: Relentless
• Date of Birth: 20/09/1985
• Nationality: English
• World Ranking: 42
• Walk-on music: Life is life - Opus
• Sky Bet Odds: 250/1
• World Matchplay best: Debut
• Career highlights: Winner of one non-televised PDC title
• This time last year? Still rising the ranks but not quick enough to qualify for the World Matchplay

There were countless players in the lower reaches of the ProTour rankings who headed to the Summer Series knowing a rare - or maiden - title would thrust them into the reckoning for the World Matchplay.

One of them did it, and his name is Ryan Joyce.

The affable Geordie has been on quite some journey since earning his Tour Card at the start of 2018 but you wouldn't guess it from his unflappable, laid back demeanour.

He was packing women's clothes in Matalan 12 months before a dream World Championship debut, in which he reached the quarter-finals and earned more in a couple of weeks (£50,000) than he had all year.

Joyce was unable to kick on from that in in seismic fashion during 2019 and pre-lockdown 2020, so when the Summer Series began, he was languishing £4,000 short of the World Matchplay spots.

On day two he put that right with a superb run which saw him average 100+ on four occasions, including a 101.9 during a 7-3 win over Gary Anderson in the semi-finals, and a 100.2 against Dave Chisnall to take the title.

He'd come from 7-3 down in the final, too, and also survived four match darts as he collected a potentially career-changing prize of £10,000 when you consider the wider implications.

Verdict: I'll favour him to defeat out of form Simon Whitlock but Michael van Gerwen should prove too strong.

JOSE DE SOUSA

• Nickname: The Special One
• Date of Birth: 25/02/1974
• Nationality: Portuguese
• World Ranking: 51
• Walk-on music: I Know You Want Me - Pitbull
• Sky Bet Odds: 80/1
• World Matchplay best: Debut
• Career highlights: Players Championship Finals semi-finalist (2016), winner of two non-televised PDC titles
• This time last year? Not a lot was expected of the 250/1 outsider and he bowed out in the second round to Rob Cross.

The emergence of Jose De Sousa epitomises another reason why we all love darts.

Just when you start assuming the next player to burst onto the scene will be one of the many talented young players on the circuit, along comes a 46-year-old from Portugal who hardly anyone knew anything about.

De Sousa first appeared at the 2012 World Championship, losing to Devon Petersen in the preliminaries, and we wouldn't see him again until a turgid defeat to Michael Barnard six years later. On that evidence, few would have expected much when he earned his maiden Tour Card at the start of 2019 but since then he's enjoyed an incredible late start to his PDC career.

Last September he became the first Portuguese winner of a PDC event with a crushing 8-1 victory over Gerwyn Price and a few weeks later he was at it again when edging out Glen Durrant 8-6 in what was his third final of the season.

De Sousa was unable to take his floor form into the Players Championship Finals, World Championship or UK Open so it's a shame he hasn't had the opportunity to build his stage presence on the European Tour this season prior to another big major.

The Special One did at least hit the ground running at the Summer Series by reaching one of the five finals, in which he lost to Michael van Gerwen, and also averaged over 100 in 11 of his 18 of his matches across the week, including a high of 109.3.

Verdict: Still question marks on how he can handle the televised environment and a first-round draw with Peter Wright is far from ideal for either player. I'll side with Snakebite but wouldn't put anyone off backing De Sousa to win the quarter at a decent price.

JUSTIN PIPE

• Nickname: The Force
• Date of Birth: 9/11/1971
• Nationality: England
• World Ranking: 57
• Walk-on music: Can You Feel The Force by The Real Thing
• Sky Bet Odds: 300/1
• World Matchplay best: Quarter-Final (2012, 2013)
• Career highlights: Winner of six non-televised PDC titles
• This time last year? Didn't qualify

Justin Pipe's first World Matchplay since 2017 just goes to shows that slow and steady can win the race. Well, finish high enough in a qualification race anyway.

After reaching a Players Championship final last July, where he was denied a first title since 2014 by Peter Wright, he chalked up a few other decent runs under the radar to comfortably book a return to the World Championship.

The Somerset thrower was last seen on that stage two years ago when being heavily booed against Phil Taylor due to the 'cough-gate' victory over Bernie Smith in the previous round - a moment he admitted "destroyed his darts career for 12 months".

Pipe, who wholeheartedly denies he made any noise with his coughs that he was subsequently fined £3,000 for, was also making his first appearance at the Alexandra Palace since losing his father earlier in the year and he understandably couldn't hold back the emotions after surviving three match darts against the unheralded Benjamin Pratnemer.

Pipe's throwing style certainly divides opinion and on that day at the Ally Pally, I did hear some fans curse their luck for having tickets to see him play an opponent they'd never heard of. The match did at least gave them plenty of value for money in terms of drama!

For many other darts fans, different styles makes the sport so fascinating and that's why his clash with Gary Anderson could become an intriguing battle.

Let's just hope he can recover quickly and fully from the arm injury that forced him to sit out of two Summer Series events.

Verdict: I'm siding with Anderson but it could be a struggle if Pipe has fully recovered.

World Matchplay Darts: Draw & Tournament Bracket

(Seedings in brackets)

• (1) Michael van Gerwen v Brendan Dolan
• (16) Simon Whitlock v Ryan Joyce
• (8) Gary Anderson v Justin Pipe
• (9) James Wade v Keegan Brown
• (4) Rob Cross v Gabriel Clemens
• (13) Krzysztof Ratajski v Jermaine Wattimena
• (5) Michael Smith v Jonny Clayton
• (12) Mensur Suljovic v Jamie Hughes
• (2) Peter Wright v Jose De Sousa
• (15) Glen Durrant v Jeffrey de Zwaan
• (7) Daryl Gurney v Ricky Evans
• (10) Dave Chisnall v Vincent van der Voort
• (3) Gerwyn Price v Danny Noppert
• (14) Adrian Lewis v Steve Beaton
• (6) Nathan Aspinall v Dimitri Van den Bergh
• (11) Ian White v Joe Cullen

Click for World Matchplay Guide including daily schedule, results & TV information

Summer Series Order Of Merit (As a form guide)

This is how much every player in the World Matchplay earned during the five-day Summer Series to give you an indication of form ahead of their return to the Marshall Arena. Michael van Gerwen won two of the first three titles either side of Ryan Joyce's maiden title while James Wade and day one runner-up Peter Wright bagged the others. Each title was worth £10,000 while Wright, Dave Chisnall, Jose De Sousa, Rob Cross and Gerwyn Price picked up £6,000 cheques for runners-up placings.

1. Peter Wright £22,000
2. Michael van Gerwen £21,000
3. James Wade £16,250
4. Ryan Joyce £11,000
5. Gerwyn Price £10,000
6. Jose de Sousa £9,250
7. Dave Chisnall £9.250
8. Rob Cross £8,000
9. Daryl Gurney £7,750
10. Nathan Aspinall £7.750
11. Krzysztof Ratajski £7,750
12. Ian White £6,750
13. Mensur Suljovic £6,750
14. Glen Durrant £6,500
15. Michael Smith £5,250
16. Danny Noppert £5,250
17. Jermaine Wattimena £5,000
18. Gabriel Clemens £5,000
19. Jonny Clayton £4,750
20. Jamie Hughes £4,750
21. Ricky Evans £4,500
22. Gary Anderson £4,000
23. Brendan Dolan £3,000
24. Dimitri van den Bergh £2,500
25. Vincent van der Voort £2,500
26. Jeffrey de Zwaan £2,000
27. Simon Whitlock £2,000
28. Steve Beaton £2,000
29. Joe Cullen £1,500
30. Keegan Brown £1,500
31. Adrian Lewis £1,000 (Missed one event)
32. Justin Pipe £500 (Missed two events)

• Summer Series: Event one report
• Summer Series: Event two report
• Summer Series: Event three report
• Summer Series: Event four report
• Summer Series: Event five report

Related Darts Content

• World Matchplay betting preview & tips
• Paul Nicholson's World Matchplay analysis
• Carl Fletcher's vital statistics
• 2020 World Matchplay draw and schedule
• 2020 Premier League venues & dates
• 2020 PDC event calendar & results
• 2020 World Darts Championship results
• 2019 PDC event results
• Sky Bet's darts odds

Responsible gambling

We are committed in our support of responsible gambling. Recommended bets are advised to over-18s and we strongly encourage readers to wager only what they can afford to lose.

Sky Bet's responsible gambling tools are detailed here and if you are concerned about your gambling, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133, or visit begambleaware.org.

Further support and information can be found at GamCare and gamblingtherapy.org.