Saturday night is semi-final night at the World Matchplay and what a fantastic night of darts it should be as the top four in the world do battle over the best of 33 legs to determine which two men will take part in Sunday’s final.
The night begins with Michael van Gerwen taking on Adrian Lewis before the main event which sees Gary Anderson and Phil Taylor colliding so this one is set up to be very special indeed.
Friday Recap
Saturday has plenty to live up to as well after an extremely enjoyable night of darts on Friday which saw two close matches, some great darts and in the end the two heavyweights coming through for a mouth-watering clash on Saturday.
In terms of bets it was a good day for us as Mervyn King won the nine legs we needed him to win and a bundle more besides to bring in that handicap and hopefully we can build on that on Saturday.
Michael van Gerwen vs Adrian Lewis
The latest renewal of what was once a fantastic rivalry but is starting to become a little one sided in recent times. When these two are both at their best and flowing together they produce fireworks like no other and hopefully Adrian Lewis can live up to those heights in this one and deliver a classic.
Michael van Gerwen has cruised into the semi-finals of this tournament. He has lost just 12 legs and the weird thing is you wouldn’t say he has played anything like his best darts but the big players shine on the biggest nights and we can expect the Dutchman to be at his best here.
Adrian Lewis has made it through this far but for long periods in the event he has been very ordinary indeed. He did a good job in disposing of Mark Webster in the opening round but he was awful against Gerwyn Price in a match which was hyped up to the extreme and that maybe had a detriment on his performance. He also laboured for 10 legs against Peter Wright but came good in the end.
I no longer think Lewis can beat van Gerwen on his own terms but there is nothing stopping him from hitting 180s and for a best of 33 leg match his line looks very low here at 8.5. Lewis hit nine against Peter Wright in the quarter final but he barely played for the first 10 legs. He’ll have to be at it from the off here and that can lead him to at least nine 180s here and quite probably a few more.
Gary Anderson vs Phil Taylor
Two men with 18 world titles between them collide in the second semi-final as Gary Anderson takes on Phil Taylor in a repeat of the semi-final from the Premier League earlier in the year. Taylor won on that occasion and that is one of four times Taylor has beaten Anderson in the five matches they have played this year.
Gary Anderson cruised through the first two rounds albeit against opponents who were pretty awful overall but he found life harder going against Steve Beaton who had he taken all his chances would have beaten the world champion so that is a concern for the fans of the Scot.
Phil Taylor hasn’t blown anyone away in this tournament but he has thrown some really good darts. Robbie Green pushed him to the limit in the opening round and Mervyn King forced no fewer than 14 180s out of him in the quarter final on Friday night so we know The Power is hitting top form on a stage he has made his own through the years.
The betting markets are telling us Anderson is the favourite for this match but I’m not convinced. Taylor has won four of their five meetings this year and his form has been backed up against better opponents this week. It would be foolish to write Anderson off completely and I’m not going to do that but in a match that is nothing more than 50/50 even though I shade it in Taylor’s favour, the legend has to be the call at 13/10 here.
I don’t see this one being in any way one sided though and I wouldn’t be wholly surprised if 33 legs isn’t enough to separate the two so over 29.5 legs looks like it has every chance. For that to lose this one has to be won 17-12 or worse and I’m not convinced that will be the case. The two met in the semi-final here two years ago when everyone thought Taylor was ripe to be toppled but Taylor won 17-15. I’m expecting him to produce a repeat here.
I’m also going to have a dabble in the 180s market here where a line of 19.5 interests me. The old school of thought that Taylor doesn’t hit many 180s is a thing of the past now. He nailed seven in the opening round against Robbie Green and 14 against King on Friday night so something along those lines here should see this line threatened and probably covered. There is no more natural 180 hitter in the game than Anderson so 20 180s has every chance in a match which will surely last 30 legs at least.
Tips
Back A.Lewis Over 8.5 180s for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Betfred
Back it here:
WON – Back P.Taylor to beat G.Anderson for a 4/10 stake at 2.30 with William Hill
Back him here:
Back G.Anderson vs P.Taylor – Over 29.5 legs for a 4/10 stake at 1.83 with Winner Sports
Back it here:
Back G.Anderson vs P.Taylor – Over 19.5 180s for a 3/10 stake at 2.00 with Coral
Back it here:
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