Follow @SBTSportBetting [Get Exclusive Tips on our Patreon, Ad-Free]
PDC 2014 World Championship Final Premium Picks.
The 2014 PDC World Championship is finally here, and it’s one I’m looking forward to for the first time in a while. Petwr Wright has, perhaps, been the best player on the floor in 2012, much like Michael van Gerwen was in 2012. Van Gerwen has continued his breakthrough year in style, and now it’s all paying off, with his second chance at a PDC World Championship, and he’s the short, short favourite. The semi-finals were good to us, the only downside being Wright and Whitlock’s slow start on the 180s. Disappointing, but we got the win for Wright and Van Gerwen, and we also got a nice checkout from the Dutchman to get us over the line early doors. Premium Picks are now 26-31 with a profit of -1.35 units.
Tonight is all about one match, it’s two of the most in-form players of the past 2 years and it’s got the recipe for an epic final.
Peter Wright Vs Michael van Gerwen.
So this is it, the final, and we’ve got two men who have had contrasting fortunes getting to the final. Peter Wright has had two matches go to a deciding set, while Van Gerwen was only pushed once, by Gary Anderson. Wright has the highest tournament average, clocking in at 99.58. He has a highest tournament checkout of 164 and 23 180s over 145 legs. Van Gerwen has a tournament average of 97.62, 36 180s and a highest checkout of 154. So, on the stats, you would think Wright has the advantage. But Van Gerwen has a huge lead on the head-to-head, leading 18-6, including a 13-3 win at the World Matchplay, and a 4-2 win in last year’s World Championship. So, yes, the Dutchman has the edge on the head-to-head. Both men have been prone to show lapses in the middle of matches, and both men have shown fight. What it comes down to, for me, is the year both men have had. Wright is on the up-and-up, he’s got nothing to lose, and has played solid darts since his first match of the tournament against Joe Cullen. In fact, he only dropped below 98 in one match, his 95.85 against Wes Newton. Van Gerwen has been similar, dropping below 90 in his first match against Zoran Lerchbacher, but has been over 96 for the rest of his matches, going over 100 in two of them. But Van Gerwen has plateaued, and is up against a man playing tthe best darts of his life. I love Wright’s confidence, and he did show last year that he was capable of hanging with the best. The first two sets he took off Van Gerwen were magnificent, and he’s now shown he’s capable of producing that for more than 2 sets at a time. Wright looks like a touch of value, as I think the bookies have Van Gerwen far too short. I also like the look of the total legs, as I think it’s going to be close. I think we could get 11 or more sets. And if we get that, we’re going to get a lot of maximums. If Wright can keep his scoring consistent, he should be good for 9 or so, and Van Gerwen should be good for 16 or so if we get the legs. But whatever happens, there’s value in Wright especially, and I think the bookies are looking at this just far too one-sided. Wright has a good chance here, and at the very least he’s going to push Van Gerwen all the way.
Peter Wright to beat Michael van Gerwen Best price 7/2 (Various)
Recommend: 2 units.
Over 40.5 legs in Wright Vs Van Gerwen match Best price 5/6 (Paddy Power)
Recommend: 3 units.
Over 22.5 180s in Wright Vs Van Gerwen match Best price 11/10 (Ladbrokes)
Recommend: 1 unit.
That’s all for the 2014 PDC World Championship. I’ll be back in a few days with the Premium Picks for the BDO World Championship.
