Our resident darts expert Keith Deller MBE provides his insight into Thursday's European Championship showdown between Ryan Searle and Raymond van Barneveld and explains where he feels the betting value can be found.
Ryan Searle v Raymond van Barneveld
Thursday 24th October (21:15)
Ryan Searle is the favourite here, but Raymond van Barneveld cannot be taken lightly.
Ryan will know that of course, and I expect him to come out and produce a professional and calculated performance to get the job done.
Barney has plenty of TV experience, he’s been there and done it all before – thousands of times. Whereas I do feel Ryan can sometimes buckle under the pressure of the bright lights a little.
That said, I do fancy him to win this match, although it won’t be a walk in the park for him.
I expect to see 10 or more legs in the match, whilst I am also pulled in by the price of 11/4 for a bullseye finish in any leg.
Both of these players have that moment of brilliance in them, and we have seen both hit the centre of the board on plenty of occasions in the past.
I just have a feeling that one of them will come up trumps on the bullseye here too.
My final play is for five or more maximums to be scored. It will be quite methodical, as neither are rapid players, but the concentration levels should be there, so expect to see at least a handful of 180s.
(Odds will display when markets are available)