We are back with evening picks for the second day of 2021 PDC World Matchplay, where we check out the final four games of the day. This is a follow-up article to our 2021 PDC World Matchplay afternoon picks, which we have posted on our website earlier today.
If you’re following our picks, we strongly advise you to shop around for the best odds to get the most of our selections. Also, don’t forget to check out our MLS betting preview for Minnesota United vs Seattle Sounders, which has been provided for free on our website!
Cullen J. – Dobey C.
Sunday, July 18 – 19:40 BST
Chris Dobey and Joe Cullen will clash at 19:40 BST to kick off the second half of today’s matches at the 2021 PDC World Matchplay. Cullen entered the tournament after he was forced to withdraw from Super Series last week due to personal issues, which is something to keep in mind as he takes on a formidable opponent.
Cullen is priced as the betting favourite for this match (1.72 at Bet365), which isn’t too shocking since he is the superior 180s hitter, averaging 0.31 per leg – compared to Dobey’s 0.29 rate. The two are very close in that metric and several other, which promises an exciting and tight affair this evening.
Dobey will hope he can ride the momentum after winning his first senior PDC title at the recent Super Series 5. He had been playing well for a while now, which earned him the title at Player Championship 18, where he beat Jose de Sousa (8-7). But it’s worth noting that his opponent missed eight match darts, so we should take Dobey’s success with a grain of salt.
Dobey has been good, but he is 2-7 in the head-to-head with Cullen. Four of those nine matches went into the decider, and we can expect something similar this evening.
Prediction: Over 16.5 Legs – 1.80 at BetVictor, 1.72 at Bet365, William Hill
Smith M. – Searle R.
Sunday, July 18 – 20:30 BST
Michael Smith won his 13th career title in April (Players Championship) and has since reached three quarter-finals, showing excellent form ahead of his clash with Ryan Searle. Although “Bully Boy” is having a fairly low-profile season, he has been playing well, with a 73% win rate, and has won eight of his last 10 outings.
Smith has been showing great form, but so has Searle, who is playing the best darts of his career. He broke his personal record in the most recent Players Championship, with a 110 average, to which he added 111 later in the day and a 112 shortly after. At this rate, Searle will be unstoppable.
While we wouldn’t want to overreact to three solid showings, Searle has been simply phenomenal and is playing like a top-10 player. His resurgence hasn’t started up until the “post-covid” era, and while you might still question whether he can deliver on stage, Searle has done well enough for us to view him as a tough challenger for the world no.7.
Smith and Searly are both excellent players who should produce an interesting bout. This one could be a coin-toss, but we like Searle better.
Prediction: Ryan Searle to win – 2.29 at SBOBET, 2.16 at Pinnacle
Prediction: Under 16.5 Legs – 2.08 at Unibet, 2.00 at Bet365
Wright P. – Noppert D.
Sunday, July 18 – 21:20 BST
World no.2 Peter Wright will enters this match as a 1.30 (Bet365) favourite. He has won three Players Championship titles in 2021 and has averaged an impressive 69% win rate with a 97.6 scoring.
However, as history has taught us, it’s almost never how it seems with the Snakebite. He is an excellent player, but Wright is known for slow starts and eventually squeezing his way to the title, as was most noticeable at the recent Super Series.
At Super Series 5, he crashed and burned in the first round of the first two days and lost in the third round on day three before he won on day four. In Super Series 4, Wright dropped the ball in the first round on day one, second round on day two and eventually reached the quarter-finals on day three before he won on day four. Much of the same happened in Super Series 2.
Danny Noppert last met with Wright just over a week ago, when he lost with 3-6. It marked his fifth consecutive loss against Wright, who he hasn’t beaten since 2018 (6-5, 6-2).
Apart from his loss against Wright last time out, the Dutchman has had a few solid showings on the season and has proven that he has the talent to compete against the world’s best. The bookmakers seem to like Wright more, which makes sense, but his slow starts makes us like Noppert far better at 3.50.
Prediction: Daniel Noppert to win – 3.75 at BetVictor, 3.50 at Bet365
de Sousa J. – Clemens G.
Sunday, July 18 – 22:10 BST
We backed Jose de Sousa as our favourite to win the 2021 PDC World Matchplay and we have plenty of reasons to be confident in the current world no.10. Although he might be “only” 10th best player in the standings, you could definitely make a case for de Sousa as the best player in the scene – right next to Jonny Clayton.
De Sousa has claimed three titles so far and has impressed many with his clinical finishing and mindblowing 180 hauls over the year. Most recently, he has finished runner up to Clayton at the Premier League, as he continues to prove his last year’s Grand Slam was not a fluke.
The Special One has averaged 99.53 on the season (higher than anyone), as well as an impressive 180 per leg ratio (0.38). The only players who can rival him in 180 per leg ratio are Van den Bergh and van Duijvenbode, who are at 0.37.
Besides his impressive metrics, de Sousa is also 2-0 in the head-to-head with Gabriel Clemens with a 6-3 and 7-5 victory from April and June, respectively. The most recent outing happened in the semi-finals of Players Championship 14, which is definitely an indicator of Clemens’ quality. However, outside of that run, the German hasn’t achieved much on the season.
Clemens is playing well enough to win a few legs, but this one shouldn’t be close.
Prediction: Jose de Sousa -3.5 Legs – 2.25 at Unibet, 2.10 at Bet365
That’s it from us for today. Check back tomorrow for 2021 PDC World Matchplay – Day 3 betting previews and predictions. Stay tuned for our League of Legends betting picks, which will get posted in a couple of hours!
