Articles

Adrian Lewis v Glen Durrant
World Matchplay Darts 10.30 pm
Sky Sports

This is the heavyweight showdown of the first round of action at the Winter Gardens. Glen Durrant is still finding his way in the PDC after coming through Q-School this year. He joins the PDC tour after years of success in the BDO. Duzza will be looking to kick up a storm at the World Matchplay over the next week. The 3-time BDO World Champion enters his first campaign at this particular PDC event.

What makes this even more fascinating is that the winner of this match will likely meet outright facilitate Michael van Gerwen in the second round. Durrant beat  MVG in the semi-finals of the Players Championship 15 this year. Duzza went on to earn his second PDC title in the event. Durrant will be going into the first round match in Blackpool as the 8/13 favourite. He’ll certainly get plenty of baking as one of the best bets of the day with punters.

Former PDC World Champion Adrian Lewis is a 13/10 underdog here then. He’s going to be under some pressure. He is ranked 16th for the tournament, which is his current status on the PDC order of merit. It has been a long while since he has challenged for a title, not since a semi-final berth in the 2017 Masters has he really been close. He has, however, been to the semi-finals in two of the last three editions of the World Matchplay. Will a return to the Winter Gardens spark him into life?

St Johnstone v Ross County
Scottish League Cup – 3.30 pm
BT Sport

There has already been plenty of action in Scotland. That’s because of the early start that the Scottish League Cup brings. Celtic are the reigning champions, but we’re a long way off from even thinking about this season’s winner. The Group Stage is in swing at the moment which is eight groups of five teams. All Scottish Professional Football League clubs play in this except those on European duty. Ross Country have come out in fine fettle banking two wins in two, scoring eight and conceding just one. They took a 4-1 win over Montrose and then a 4-0 win at Brechin. Ross, who won the Championship last season, are 19/10 to pick up the victory.

They should get a stiffer challenge here against Premiership side St Johnstone. The Perth side suffered a 1-0 reverse against Montrose in their opener. But with three more games to play, they won’t be hitting the panic button. Each team plays four group games, two home and two away. Any game which ends in a draw at 90 minutes goes to a penalty shootout. The winner of that claims a bonus point. St Johnstone were defeated in their last five games against Ross, winning two and drawing three. The Saints are 23/20 to get a win to get them in the race for the top spot.

James Wade v Jeffrey de Zwaan
World Matchplay Darts – 7.40 pm
Sky Sports

Aside from Michael van Gerwen and the reigning Champion Gary Anderson, the only other player in the 2019 draw for the World Matchplay Darts is James Wade. That’s it. The large reason for that is the 16 titles that Phil Taylor won before he retired. Wade’s success happened  in 2007 when he beat Terry Jenkins heavily in the final. Wade has a handy record at this tournament. Along with his title success in 2007, he has been to the final of five other World Matchplay tournaments and has two semi-final finishes as well. The Machine is looking for a lift though as he hasn’t been past the second round in the last three editions.

Wade is the 8/15 outright favourite for the match, but he has reason to be cautious. Twelve months ago Jeffrey de Zwaan created a shockwave in the very first round. That is because he beat top seed Michael van Gerwen. Following that the Dutch player knocked off former World Champion Adrian Lewis and Dave Chisnall. He eventually fell in the semi-final against eventual winner Gary Anderson. That was some run from him though. Can he do it again on his return to the Winter Gardens?

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South Africa v Australia
Rugby Championship – 4.05 pm
Sky Sports

This is the first match of the 2019 Rugby Championship. In it, South Africa will be looking to extend some positive home form against Australia. In the last four years, the Springboks have hosted the Wallabies four times and have taken a W3 D1 record from that sequence of games. In last year’s Championship, the two traded home wins. But South Africa had the last laugh. They finished second in the table to New Zealand, with Australia languishing behind them in third. Because 2019 is a World Cup year, teams only play each other once in the Rugby Championship. South Africa are strong 4/11 odds on favourites to win this fixture.

So that swings a huge advantage to the Springboks as they roll out in Port Elizabeth. This fixture then is pretty much looking as if it will be a decider for second place behind the Kiwis at the end of the campaign. Australia had a terrible 2018, recording a W4 L9 record in the calendar year. That was their worst output in a calendar year since 1958. They will head to the Nelson Mandela Stadium under some pressure to perform. An Australia +8 handicap is at 10/11 odds with leading bookmakers. While it’s been a while since they won in South Africa,  none of their last three defeats there have been heavy ones. Will they see a narrow defeat as a success or can they spring a surprise victory?

Argentina v New Zealand
Rugby Championship – 00:40 am (Sunday 21st)
Sky Sports

The All Blacks will be starting the defence of yet another Rugby Championship title. They have won six of the seven previous editions of the tournament and will be looking for their fourth in a row. They start this season’s campaign with the fixture which, on paper, should be their easiest. New Zealand head to Buenos Aires to face up to Argentina, a team which they have never lost against before. New Zealand’s record against the Pumas is W32 D1 L0. That’s pretty dominant, to say the least.

In the last fifteen meetings between the two nations, just one of those fixtures have New Zealand failed to win by a margin of more than ten points. Because New Zealand are such overwhelming favourites to win, leading bookmakers have a -14 Handicap on them at 10/11 odds. Argentina though can take some kind of positive away from their campaign last year. For the first time in a single season of the Rugby Championship, they won two matches. The Pumas got their wins over Australia and South Africa. They didn’t really land a glove on the All Blacks though, suffering 18 and 22 point margin defeats against them.

Dillian Whyte v Oscar Rivas
Boxing – 10.00 pm
Sky Sports

Heavyweight Boxing is in such a good place at the moment. Dillian Whyte will try and continue his climb up the ladder to get a shot at a title. He steps into the ring on Saturday night as the odds-on favourite with leading bookies to beat Oscar Rivas. Such a strong favourite is the British boxer that he is at 8/5 to win by a stoppage at the O2 arena. Whyte is a man on a mission and isn’t a happy man. Whyte is the top man in the WBC and still hasn’t been able to land a title bout against Deontay Wilder primarily. So he has been missing out and that fuel may be a reason that punters consider him as one of the best bets of the day.

Since losing to Anthony Joshua in 2015, the only defeat in his career, Whyte has put together a nine-fight winning streak. He can’t afford to slip up, only keep pushing forward. He is taking on Colombian Rivas who has 26 wins from 26 fight. 18 of those were knockouts. So he could be a tricky opponent for Whyte. Rivas though has never been in a fight of this magnitude before. His last bout was back in January of this year against Americas Bryant Jennings which Rivas won to earn the IBF international heavyweight title. The Colombian is 10/3 to deliver an upset.

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Senegal v Algeria
Africa Cup of Nations Final – 8.00 pm
Eurosport

The competition has boiled down a battle between Senegal and Algeria on Friday for the Afcon 2019 title. Algeria are aiming to lift the crown for what will be the second time in their history. They have put together an undefeated streak of form this year, playing to W7 D3. Algeria have looked fairly comfortable through this competition. They won all three group stage games without conceding a goal . One of those group stage wins was a 1-0 success over Senegal. Their quarter-final tie against Ivory Coast was won by a penalty shoot-out, the only time they have really looked tested.

The Desert Foxes have conceded just one goal in their five matches in the competition so far. A last-minute wonder strike from Riyad Mahrez saw them beat Nigeria in the semis. Algeria are 19/20 To Lift The Trophy with leading bookmakers, which will appeal as one of the best bets of the day. Senegal were involved in a dramatic semi-final tie against Tunisia. They missed an open goal through Liverpool’s Sadio Mane, missed a spot-kick as well and survived a penalty attempt against them.

Senegal got a 1-0 win in extra-time thanks to a major flub by the Tunisian keeper. The Lions of Teranaga are through to their first-ever Africa Cup of Nations Final so are within touching distance of their first crown. They have won eleven of their last twelve games, and have conceded just two goals in that sequence. However, that one defeat was against Algeria back in the group stage. Senegal are 8/5 to win in 90 minutes.

Gary Anderson v Danny Noppert
World Matchplay Darts – 9.00 pm
Sky Sports

The Flying Scotsman Gary Anderson is the reigning World Matchplay Champion. But this has been a testing year for him. He was having back problems early in the campaign which caused him to miss the Premier League season. After a long break he returned to take a spot at the UK Open in March and lost his first game. Then it was just early exit after exit on the PDC Pro Tour. But he rose to the top at the PDC World Cup of Darts in early June along with partner Peter Wright. Then Anderson built on that to make a run to the quarter-finals of the US Darts Masters. With a round of sixteen finish in Germany in his last event in July, there are signs he’s getting back to his best.

Anderson is at 8/11 to cover a -2.5 handicap in this one. Danny Noppert was the top qualifier to get through to join the big guns at the World Matchplay in Blackpool this season. Noppert joined the PDC from the BDO last year and so this will be his first attempt at the World Matchplay. So there’s no prior form to look at with him at this event. He did make a big splash at the Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals in November last year. Can he take advantage of any potentially lingering back problems for the reigning champion? Noppert is 5/2 to land a major underdog victory.

Hull KR v Huddersfield
Super League Rugby – 7.45 pm
Sky Sports

Hull are still fighting for their Super League lives. So the pressure will be on when they step out on home soil on Friday night. Hull are just two points above the drop zone. However, they have been picking up wins recently though with three in their last five. Hull KR have alternated between a loss and a win in each of their last six league games. They have won their last two home games, taking victories over Warrington and Hull FC. So the fact that they are turning out on home soil at the KCom on Friday against another struggler could be a huge opportunity for them.

The Huddersfield Giants are sat level on points with Hull KR at the wrong end of the table. So they will be feeling the pressure, especially as they are not in the form that their opponents are in. The Giants have lost five of their last six games played. They did give themselves a huge lift in their last away game as they produced a thumping 36-18 wins over Salford. A positive for the Giants is that they beat Hull KR in points output this season. While there isn’t much between them defensively, the Giants are -93 in points difference for the season, way better than Hull KR’s -182. The Giants are 6/4 underdogs against the favouritism of Hull KR at 4/7.

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It’s a stacked weekend of boxing action from both sides of the pond, as we welcome the return of one of the sport’s greatest sons. Manny Pacquiao enters his 70th professional bout in attempt to take the ‘0’ of Keith Thurman, and Dillian Whyte looks to take a huge step forward towards a shot for the WBC world heavyweight title.

Manny Pacquiao vs Keith Thurman

Thurman’s inactivity could really bite him against a fighter like Pacquiao. Fast hands (still), fast combinations (still) and a tricky southpaw attack will be hard for Keith to negate in the early stanzas – the longer the fight goes on the more success I expect ‘Pac-Man’ to find in this fight. One KO win – against a shot Matthysse – since 2009 convinces me to believe Manny wins this on the cards, with Thurman proving his toughness in the championship rounds. Pacquiao’s defence can be open at times, but Thurman’s power seems to have faded over the past few years. Thurman’s size shouldn’t cause Pacquiao too many problems with a sustained body attack the recipe for success.

Manny Pacquiao to win by Decision or Technical Decision @ 6/4 (BetVictor)

Dillian Whyte vs Oscar Rivas

This is a calculated risk by Whyte. Rivas is being sold as an unbeaten killer to the UK pay-per-view customers, but the Colombian’s record as a pro struggles to stand up. A last-minute stoppage of Bryant Jennings protected his 0 in January, in a fight where the scorecards were fairly balanced going into the twelfth. At 6ft 0″ Rivas will struggle to cope with the strength and stature of Whyte. ‘Kaboom’ may prove elusive in the early rounds before a signature Whyte left hook comes his way. Whyte has shown he is comfortable boxing at distance as well as becoming embroiled in a war and we may see flashes of both against an opponent who was well-schooled in the amateurs. The biggest threat to Whyte will be the overhand right counter from the away fighter, but I can’t see the ‘Bodysnatcher’ slipping up so close to an elusive WBC title opportunity.

Dillian Whyte to win by KO, TKO or Disqualification @ 13/8 (BetVictor)

Dave Allen vs David Price

Allen is finally taking this sport seriously. Under the carefully considered eye of Darren Barker, Allen has got himself into his best shape following a career-high win over Lucas Browne earlier this year. The loser is left with very limited options in the heavyweight scene; who can deal with the occasion at the O2 may well prove the victor. Price will always be chinny, but can still cause problems with a huge right hand. If Allen boxes smart and to a gameplan, the ‘White Rhino’ could punish the long body of Price in the opening few rounds – the Liverpudlian has a history of gassing early. The judges won’t be needed in this one, with Allen handing big Pricey his sixth loss in the middle rounds.

Dave Allen to beat David Price @ 2/5 (BetVictor)

Dereck Chisora vs Artur Szpilka

As long as Chisora is up for the fight, he will perform to his max. We’ve seen Del-Boy cruise to boring wins and even slip up against unlikely opponents, however, the danger that the Polish southpaw brings to the O2 should ignite the fire inside the 35-year-old. There is huge pressure on Chisora to win this fight. He’s still trying to springboard from his ninth pro loss and surely can’t afford another set back if he’s looking for another big payday under the management of David Haye. Chisora has huge power but can be telegraphed at distance; whether the Pole has become gun-shy since his losses to Wilder and Kownacki will impact how many risks he’s willing to take. This will turn into a slugfest in the middle rounds, with Chisora landing the more telling shots.

Dereck Chisora to beat Artur Szpilka @ 4/9 (BetVictor)

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The 2019 Africa Cup of Nations has come down to two teams. Algeria and Senegal will go head to head at the Cairo International Stadium on Friday evening to decide which nation can be crowned as the best in Africa, and it promises to be a fascinating encounter.

Of the two, Algeria have the stronger tournament record. They have one win, one second, two thirds and two fourths to their name, although all bar one of those performances came when they were at their strongest, between 1980 and 1990, a period that also saw them beat Germany in the 1982 World Cup. Senegal’s best effort was when finishing as runners-up in the 2002 tournament, though they also have three fourth-placed finishes in 1965, 1990 and 2006.

This game is also a rematch as these teams met in the second round of games in Group C. Algeria won that game 1-0, on their way to an impressive perfect record, while Senegal had to rely on beating Kenya 3-0 to secure their passage to the Round of 16.

Both teams have had to work hard to reach the final. Algeria thrashed Guinea 3-0 in their Round of 16 game but were taken to penalties by Ivory Coast and edged out Nigeria in the semi-final thanks to a spectacular last-minute free kick by Riyad Mahrez. Senegal also had to come through a penalty shoot-out, in their semi-final against Tunisia, after scraping 1-0 wins over Uganda and Ghana.

And both of these sides are blessed with prodigious attacking talent. Algeria have the abilities of Mahrez, Sofiane Feghouli and Baghdad Bounedjah to call upon, while Senegal have plenty of pace and skill up front with Liverpool star Sadio Mane, M’Baye Niang and Ismaila Sarr.

So, it’s no surprise to find that bookmakers rate the two teams closely. According to BetCris, Algeria are +192 to win in normal time, while Senegal are rated at +176 and the draw at +182.

One thing that could be Algeria’s favour is the absence of key Senegal player Kalidou Koulibaly. He received what was widely perceived as a harsh yellow card in the semi-final against Tunisia, and will miss the final, and his defensive strength, leadership and calm authority will be badly missed. It is also worth noting that Algeria have a good recent head to head record against these opponents. In fact, they have won four and drawn one of their last five meetings.

Tactically, we can expect both teams to focus on outscoring their opponents, as that is where their respective strengths lie, and that could produce an entertaining final to conclude what has sometimes been an overly cautious tournament. Algeria are likely to have more of possession, while Senegal will tend to favour a counter-attacking approach, relying on Mane and Sarr to give them the edge on the break, but both teams are capable of creating and scoring goals at will.

Watching the World Matchplay Darts without Phil Taylor is still going to take some getting used to. That’s because you knew that when the PDC Tour was heading to the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, Phil Taylor was most likely going to win the title there. The Power stepped away from his professional career with sixteen, yes sixteen titles at the tournament from seventeen appearances in the final.

Fittingly he retired by winning it in his last ever appearance in 2017 with a victory over Peter Wright. At the end of the day, it is now two years since Taylor last stepped out at the World Matchplay and we are still talking about him. But, the game has moved on, as do the fans and this year it will be Scotland’s Gary Anderson who will be stepping up to the oche to try and defend his title. You can see it all on Sky Sports from July 20th through 28th.

Can Anderson make it back to back titles?

Gary Anderson came through an epic match in the final twelve months ago against Mensur Suljovic. It turned out to be the longest ever Final in the World Matchplay too. Matches at the World Matchplay have to be won by two clear legs. So in the best of 35 final, not a big enough advantage had been gained by either so into extra legs it went. It was Anderson who hauled himself over the finish line with a 21-19 win. He ended with a lower three dart average in the final than his opponent did though.

Anderson could be just coming right back into form in time for a title defence. In the early stages of the calendar year, his old back problems were bothering him. So he took some time to get that sorted which meant that he withdraw from the Premier League campaign. After a couple of months out, he returned at the UK Open in early March and lost his first match there. But in June he teamed up with Peter Wright to win the World Cup for Scotland, then hit the quarterfinals of the US Darts Masters. The Flying Scotsman was then a round of sixteen finisher at the German Darts Masters. Anderson is 9/1 with leading bookies to defend his crown.

MVG aims to rock Blackpool for the third time

World Number One Michael van Gerwen is a two-time winner of the World Matchplay. Things haven’t gone his way in the last two editions though. In 2017 he was stopped in the quarterfinals and then last year he bombed in the first round. Last year Mighty Mike was in a duel against Dutch competitor Jeffrey de Zwaan and tumbled to a shock 10-6 defeat. That’s not something that you’ll see every day at the oche.

MVG is doing his usual thing of winning titles in 2019. The Dutchman can check off successful campaigns at the World Championships, the Premier League and the Masters as well. He did slip to a fourth-round defeat at the UK Open though. Any tournament that Van Gerwen enters, he is the one to beat. This one is no exception and he is at 6/5 to claim the tournament win.

Other key contenders for Blackpool 2019

The usual suspects are knocking around. Welshman Gerwyn Price has not produced much previous form at the World Matchplay. But he has been to the semi-final in half of his last six tournaments played this year. Northern Ireland’s Daryl Gurney has taken three straight quarterfinal exits in his last three tournaments. He was a losing semi-finalist two years ago at the World Matchplay though and was a semifinalist at this season’s Premier League of Darts.

James Wade has tournament history, being a former winner. His record is right up there in this tournament. He has been to six previous Finals in this competition, but unfortunately for him has only managed to win the one title. Performances in the last three season have dropped off from in him Blackpool however. England’s Rob Cross has been in good form this year. He’s been to the final of the UK Open, the European Darts Open and the Premier League. The leading bookmaker see him as the biggest challenger to Michael van Gerwen with Cross placed at 15/2

Sleeper Picks

There are a couple of names in this who will pique some interest. Michael Smith is a 22/1 outsider but will be heading to Blackpool in hot form having just finished as the runner up at the US Darts Masters. Smith has come to play in 2019. He reached the final of the World Championship this year as well as a quarter-final at the Masters and a semi at the UK Open. He’s never been past the second round of the World Matchplay though.

Peter Wright is an interesting one. The Scotsman did pick up the World Cup title this year along with Gary Anderson. As for individual tournament form, it’s been a while since he threatened for a title. However, looking at his performances in the last four editions of the World Matchplay, a quarter-final, two semi-finals and a runner up, he’s been knocking on the door. Maybe a trip to the seaside will give him the jolt he needs to get himself going again.

Can Duzza do it for the first time?

One of the biggest buzzes this year on the PDC has been about Glen Durrant the three-time (and still current) reigning BDO World Champion. He got through Q-School for the PDC and has won a couple of PDC titles this year, both Players Championship events on the PDC Pro Tour. Duzza is still working his way up the ranks in the PDC and will take on the World Matchplay for the first time. He is capable of beating the best and took out Van Gerwen on the way to one of his titles in 2019. Can he string a title-winning run together in the North West? Leading bookmakers have him out as a 33/1 odds option.

Summary

This is one of the greatest darts tournaments out there for the sheer brilliance of atmosphere. There have been so many highlights at the Winter Gardens down the years. Great questions are waiting to be answered this year like will Michael van Gerwen bust his barren streak at the tournament? What can Glen Durrant get up to? Is Anderson past his back troubles well enough to defend his ground? All will be revealed in the week concluding with the final on July 28th.

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