Betting-Previews.com returns with another set of betting previews and predictions for the third day of 2021 PDC World Matchplay, where we take a look at four bouts played on Monday, July 19.
2021 PDC World Matchplay – Day 2 Recap
Yesterday, we sent out eight picks for 2021 PDC World Matchplay – Day 2 and hit half of them, ending in just over one unit in the red.
James Wade losing against Luke Humphries was definitely the (negative) highlight of the day and we weren’t too excited about Tyan Searle’s showing against Michael Smith (7-10) either. It was Searle’s worst performance in a while, ending the match as the second-best player on the day.
Regardless, the 2021 PDC World Matchplay has only just begun, and there will be plenty of opportunities to fix the damage. Once again, we want to remind everyone who is following our darts picks to check around for the best odds.
Gurney D. – White I.
Monday, July 19 – 19:10 BST
Daryl Gurney and Ian White enter this bout looking fairly evenly matched. Both have been struggling with their form of late and haven’t achieved any notable results for a while.
Gurney and White are averaging very poor marks; both ranked outside of the top-20 in the seasonal averages, which definitely doesn’t help their confidence. However, for one, that could change with a win this evening.
At Winter Gardens, White has only gotten past the second round once in 2015, when he reached the quarter-finals, whereas Gurney managed semi-finals on two occasions, giving him a slight edge.
These two last met in June when White won with 6-4, securing his first head-to-head victory since 2017 (6-5). Whether he can repeat that success today is anyone’s guess, but if the players’ form and their recent outings are any indications, this should be a tight affair.
Prediction: Over 16.5 Legs – 1.73 at Betway, BetVictor, 1.72 at Bet365
Aspinall N. – King M.
Monday, July 19 – 20:00 BST
Nathan Aspinall enters this match as a 1.72 (Bet365) favourite; however, that doesn’t guarantee him success. Out of all the seeded players, Aspinall has been dealt the toughest round one match as he takes on the surging Mervyn King.
King has had a solid Super Series showing a few weeks back when he reached a couple of quarter-finals, whereas Aspinall managed only one. While Kings hold a slight edge over Aspinall in that department, they both averaged three 100+, so it’s fair to say that they’re in similar form.
That said, King demolished Aspinall 10-3 at the Masters in January, when he ended up reaching the finals, having done the same at the Players Championship Finals back in November. In the Masters, King ended up losing to Jonny Clayton, but he played well and forced a tight 8-11 match.
King has been showing excellent form, and while Aspinall is still good, he isn’t as good as he was last year. This should be a 50/50 match at best – you could even make a case for King as the better player.
Prediction: Mervyn King to win – 2.13 at SBOBET, 2.11 at Pinnacle, 2.10 at Bet365
van Gerwen M. – Heta D.
Monday, July 19 – 20:50 BST
Michael van Gerwen is one of the best players in history; however, he hasn’t won a single title since 2020, which is quite a period. Like Aspinall, van Geweren is still good but is not as good as he was 12 months ago – he had three titles at this time last year, including a major.
Van Gerwen averaged 98.58, which is the third-highest at the tournament, only behind Jose de Sousa and Gerwyn Price and definitely high enough to see him as a serious threat to anyone. However, we have to go back to his lack of form, and most notably his shaky performances of late – namely his semi-finals loss in the Premier League and two final defeats in ProTour finals.
You could make a case for van Gerwen as the better player here, but we wouldn’t underestimate Damon Heta. The Australian beat van Gerwen 7-3 in February and should feel confident he can do it again.
His average on the season is one of the top-10 at 2021 PDC World Matchplay, and you can’t look past his strong showings at the most recent Super Series, where he averaged over 100 four times and only lost to Scott Mitchell and Gerwyn Price – who averaged 113 on the day.
It won’t be an easy match for Heta, but with the form he has been showing, he can definitely give van Gerwen a run for his money.
Prediction: Damon Heta to win – 4.00 at Boyle, 3.86 at Pinnacle, 3.75 at Bet365
Anderson G. – Bunting S.
Monday, July 19 – 21:40 BST
Stephen Bunting has reached the quarter-finals with the help of home fans two years back and has looked very good at the World Championship, where he made it to the final four. He has recently ended a five-year-long dry streak and won the PDC title at the Super Series, where he beat Dimitri Van den Bergh and Gerwyn Price.
Bunting’s form has been exceptional; however, it’s hard to look past Gary Anderson, who usually does well on big stages. Although Anderson has had a very mixed season, he is known for saving his strength for the major tournaments.
However, that hasn’t always worked for him, seeing how he crashed out of Masters and UK Open very early after reaching the World Championship final.
We expect a tight affair with no clear winner. Bunting can definitely upset the world no.6, but it’s very hard to underestimate Anderson at important tournaments like this one. We like over 16.5 legs.
Prediction: Over 16.5 Legs – 1.80 at William Hill, 1,73 at Betway, 1.72 at Bet365
We will continue covering 2021 PDC World Matchplay matches, so don’t forget to check back tomorrow for more betting previews and predictions. If you want to start betting with us, join our membership – read more about it HERE.
