Darts Tips: Our 3 European Championship Picks for Thursday & Friday

Our Darts guru, Ben Smith's got you covered for the open days at the Westfalenhallen.

By / Darts / 1 month ago

The PDC European Championship kicks off on Thursday night with eight games lined up for us.

PP’s resident Darts tipster, Ben Smith, has looked through the best match-ups for Thursday and Friday and has three picks for us, so let’s get right into them.

PDC European Championship betting tips

Thursday, Oct 24, 18:30: Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney – Daryl Gurney +1.5 leg handicap
Thursday, Oct 24, 20:00: Ryan Searle v Raymond van Barneveld – Over 9.5 legs
Friday, Oct 25, 21:30: Josh Rock v Mike de Decker – Mike de Decker to win

WHERE: Westfalenhallen, Dortmund
WHEN: October 24th-27th
TV: ITV4 & ITVX

Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney – Daryl Gurney +1.5 leg handicap

The drop to number seven in the PDC Order of Merit underlines what a disappointing year it has been for Gerwyn Price by his standards. He has been particularly poor on the Continent, losing each of his last four first-round matches on the European Tour.

Price did win the Nordic Darts Masters in Denmark in June and notched another World Series victory in Australia two months later, but ranking events have been far from fruitful for the Welshman.

Daryl Gurney, who beat Price 6-3 when they last met at the World Series Finals in September, has been playing within a point of the Iceman’s average over the past two months. When you factor in the shoulder issue that forced Price to withdraw from the Czech Darts Open a week ago, this looks like more of a 50/50 than the odds suggest.

Perhaps Gurney’s 6-0 defeat by Raymond van Barneveld in Prague has greatly influenced the price. Still, I would disregard that performance as it was an uncharacteristic dud in an otherwise consistent year.

Ryan Searle v Raymond van Barneveld – Over 9.5 legs

Both Ryan Searle and Raymond van Barneveld will sense an opportunity to go on a deep run in Dortmund, especially the former, who has underachieved in majors throughout his career.

The pair have yet to face one another this season, but they met four times in 2023, three of which were best-of-11 matches. All of those short-format matches went to a final-leg decider. Five of their eight encounters have gone the distance, and it would not be a surprise to see something similar here.

Short and longer-term samples highlight Heavy Metal’s slightly higher average than Barney’s, while the veteran’s finishing is marginally superior. It should be a tight first-round affair if both play close to their standard level.

Josh Rock v Mike de Decker – Mike de Decker to win

The closest game in terms of odds across the entire round of 32 is saved for last, as Josh Rock, who won his first European Tour title in May, takes on the newly-crowned World Grand Prix champion, Mike de Decker.

Stats-wise, Rock has been the better player this year, but PDC premier events remain problematic for him. The Northern Irishman has only won one match at a major in 2024, at the UK Open against Patrick Geeraets, who is ranked outside the top 100.

There was an assuredness about de Decker all week as he shocked the world in Leicester. I was even impressed with him at the Czech Darts Open – he averaged over 100 for the event before Luke Humphries exacted some revenge for the World Grand Prix final by knocking him out in the quarters.

It feels as though de Decker belongs. To be offered such a price on the Belgian against a man who struggles to close matches out on the big stage is not something I can ignore.

Darts betting tips

Thursday, Oct 24, 18:30: Gerwyn Price v Daryl Gurney – Daryl Gurney +1.5 leg handicap
Thursday, Oct 24, 20:00: Ryan Searle v Raymond van Barneveld – Over 9.5 legs
Friday, Oct 25, 21:30: Josh Rock v Mike de Decker – Mike de Decker to win

*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.

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