World Matchplay Darts: Saturday's semi-final predictions, betting tips, acca, order of play and TV time

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Just four players remain in the hunt for the Phil Taylor trophy. Dimitri Van den Bergh is defending his title in a terrific fashion, Peter Wright is playing like the best player in the tournament, Michael van Gerwen is not quite purring but ominously still involved and Krzysztof Ratajsk in his first major PDC semi-final.

Here's our match-by-match guide of all the action...

World Matchplay: Saturday July 24

• TV Coverage: Sky Sports (1900 BST)
• Semi-Final: Best of 33 legs. Each game must be won by two clear legs, with up to a maximum of five additional legs being played before the sixth additional leg is sudden-death
• Suggested Acca: Both Van den Bergh & Wright to win and hit most 180s at 7/2 (Sky Bet)

Dimitri Van Den Bergh (4/9) v Krzysztof Ratajski (7/4)

• Head to Head: 4-3 (TV: 0-0)
• Meetings since start of 2020: 0-2 (TV: 0-0)
• Last Meeting: 6-3 Ratajski (Players Championship 2, February 2021)
• Career PDC Titles: 2-7 (TV: 1-0)
• Titles This Season: 1-0 (TV: 0-0)
• 2021 World Matchplay Average: 100.58 - 99.16
• 2021 World Matchplay 180s: 30 (59 legs) - 17 (54 legs)
• 2021 World Matchplay Checkout %: 34.58% (37/107) - 42.05% (37/8)
• 100+ Checkouts and highest: 2 (121) - 5 (141)

The opening encounter of the night is between two players producing some fantastic darts this week. The pair have met seven times previously, none of which have been on TV and despite the Belgian having slightly the better head-to-head record it is the Pole who’s won the last three meetings. This promises to be a tight encounter as the leg count in the previous seven matches suggest, it’s 40-38 to Ratajski.

‘The Polish Eagle’ has been ultra-consistent this week, his lowest average he’s produced over his three matches is 97.34 and he’s lost just 17 legs. His tournament average is 99.16, his scoring average with his first nine darts is 110.06, his doubles percentage is 42.05%, his treble 20 and treble 19 accuracy is 44.4% and 44.1% respectively and all his winning legs have been done in 18 darts or fewer. This is a player who is bang in form.

The same can also be said about his opponent ‘The Dream Maker’. Having opened up a with an average of 94.06 in his first round match versus Devon Petersen he’s since produced two ton plus averages in his last two against Dave Chisnall and Gerwyn Price.

Van Den Bergh’s tournament statistics read as follows: average 100.58, first nine average 116.23, doubles percentage 34.58%, treble 20 accuracy of 47%, treble 19 accuracy of 56.6% and 34 of his 37 winning legs in 18 darts or fewer.

The stat I’ve eluded to include above is the 180’s. Dimitri has been top drawer in this respect at Blackpool this week, notching up 30 already, almost nearly double that of Ratajski who’s hit 17. He’s now also statistically the best 180 hitter on the pro tour in 2021 with a 180 per leg ratio of 0.378.

Whilst it’s no doubt that Van Den Bergh is the power scorer, his doubling at times has been profligate. He’s had 14 legs of darts from the 59 he’s played during the tournament so far where he’s had darts at the double and failed to win the leg, nine of which where he had three darts or more to secure the leg. Ratajski is much more ruthless in this respect, he’s lost only 8 legs where he’s had darts at the double with only three of these being when he’s had three darts at the double. The reason for this is his mopping up of single double combinations, he’s checked out 80% (8/10) of these over his three matches so far.

So where do you go? The power scorer and defending champion who needs brush up on his doubles or the better finisher in his first PDC major semi-final? I’m going to side with the former.

He is giving himself the chances. He’s had darts a double in 86.4% of the legs he’s played this week (51/58), slightly higher than Ratajski at 83.3% (45/54) and although he’s missed 70 darts at double during the tournament, that’s nearly has many darts the double as Ratajski has had all week at 88. His seasonal stats on stage coming into this event suggest his doubling his better than we’ve seen too as it was 40.59% prior.

As the head to head suggested it won’t be a landslide but I’m taking Dimi to win a tight match. I have a sneaky feeling he’ll handle the occasion the better of the two and Ratajski’s average has dropped game by game as the tournament has progressed.

• Predicted Scoreline: Van Den Bergh 17-13 Ratajski
• Suggested Bet: Van Den Bergh to win and hit the most 180’s at 4/6 (Sky Bet)

Peter Wright (4/5) v Michael Van Gerwen (Evs)

• Head to Head: 21-2-64 (TV: 5-2-36)
• Meetings since start of 2020: 3-5 (TV: 1-3)
• Last Meeting: 8-2 Wright (Players Championship 20, July 2021)
• Career PDC Titles: 37-138 (TV: 8-55)
• Titles This Season: 3-0 (TV: 0-0)
• 2021 World Matchplay Average: 101.77 - 96.80
• 2021 World Matchplay 180s: 19 (51 legs) - 12 (61 legs)
• 2021 World Matchplay Checkout %: 45.12% (37 /82) - 39.78% (37/9)
• 100+ Checkouts and highest: 4 (121) - 2 (121)

It’s not very often you get to a major semi-final and Michael Van Gerwen starts the underdog but that’s the situation we find ourselves in this evening.

He comes into this match with considerably the lowest tournament average of the four remaining players at 96.80 and his performances haven’t been resounding. He opened up with a 10-7 victory over Damon Heta, followed this up with an 11-8 win against Ian White and last night laboured to a 16-9 victory against Nathan Aspinall in what was not a great game. In fact the last three legs aside – which were won in 12, 13 and 11 darts – the rest of his performance was mediocre at best.

On the other hand ‘Snakebite’ has been very good throughout. He promised pre-event that he was going to bring home the title and his current tournament average of 101.77 is the best of all 32 players. He’s only had lost 14 legs all week (Van Gerwen has lost 24).

Looking at his statistics a bit deeper he’s won 92.5 of the legs in which he’s had darts at a double, that’s thirty seven out of forty. In comparison Van Gerwen has won just 74% of these legs, thirty-seven out of fifty. This aspect of ‘Might Mike’s’ game this week needs to improve quickly.

‘The Green Machine’ is also being outscored. His first nine dart average of 105.87 is nearly some ten points lower than Wrights which stands at 115.07 and on the 180 count it’s ‘Snakebite’ who leads this at 19-12. This is actually one facet of Wright’s game that has improved of late. In July it’s 0.41 per leg, for the first six months of 2021 it was 0.28 per leg.

These two have been having battles for years and the mind games startedduring last night’s interview, in particular by MVG who suggested that when these pair meet, Peter’s “bum goes twitchy”. Yes, he holds the aces in previous head to head meetings but the last encounter between the two saw Wright thump his opponent 8-2 in the final of Players Championship 20, the last event before the Matchplay.

The real MVG more often than not turns up versus Wright however and in their eight matches since the start of 2020, he’s averaged a ton plus in six of these. In fact both these players are averaging 100+ across these eight games, Van Gerwen 100.60, Wright 100.31.

I just haven’t seen that MVG standard consistently enough of late to be able to tip him to win this match. Whilst it would be folly of me to say he can’t win this match I have to favour Peter Wright to back up what he said pre-tournament and go close to winning the event and extend his current winning run of ten matches in all events.

• Predicted Scoreline: Peter Wright 17-12 Michael Van Gerwen
• Suggested Bet: Peter Wright to win and hit the most 180’s at 11/10 (Sky Bet)

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