So here we are – Peter Wright takes on defending champion Michael van Gerwen in the PDC World Championship final on New Year’s Day.
94 of the 95 matches have been played at Alexandra Palace and we’re left with two players who look like a before and after advert for hair transplants.
An England football star has been filmed downing pints at a speed Lewis Hamilton would be ashamed of and the ‘Yaya’ song has been chanted so much – he and Kolo are in danger of being owed royalties.
Here, Paddy Power round up three of the best bets for Wednesday’s final.
Michael van Gerwen to win 7-4 – 11/2
Let’s just start by saying – MVG should win his fourth PDC World Championship. Wright has a poor record against the defending champion losing 59 of their 78 meetings.
This will be Snakebite’s 12th major final since his 2014 World Championship loss to Van Gerwen and he’s won only one of those – the 2017 UK Open.
The Scot lost nine of those finals against tomorrow’s opponent – something that’s not lost on MVG.
“Me and Peter have history, we have played so many games together,” Van Gerwen said after beating Nathan Aspinall 6-3 in the semi-final. “Normally he’s runner-up in finals against me, so I hope I can keep it that way.”
Van Gerwen should get over the line again, but given the Dutchman’s recent habit of taking his foot off the gas – we’re going for a repeat score of the 2014 final.
Peter Wright to have most 180s – 4/9
This should be a short and sweet summary. Peter Wright to have the most 180s is perhaps the safest bet of Wednesday’s showdown.
The world number 3 has a tournament-high 57 180s under his belt – the closest challenger is Nathan Aspinall with 44. He nailed 16 of them against Welsh pantomime villain Gerwyn Price in the semi-final alone.
Conversely, MVG has been the scourge of punters backing him in the 180 market. He’s only triumphed twice in that department during his five-match run to the final – often opting to switch to 19s.
Peter Wright Most 180s, High Checkout and Lose Match – 9/4
This treble combines the above with the addition of Peter Wright to record the highest checkout at 9/4.
Wright, who boasts a 44.39% checkout percentage, has won all of his games hitting the highest checkout and most 180s. His last five have been: 131, 170, 149, 157 and 140.
MVG has managed that in none of his. In fact, he’s only won that category against Jelle Klaasen and Darius Labanauskas.
All our Darts punts can be found at PaddyPower.com* All odds correct at time of posting.
