World Matchplay - Gary to grind through battle of the greats

Darts guru Ben Levene (@benlevene96) looks ahead to day four of the 2018 World Matchplay from Winter Gardens.

Gary Anderson v Raymond Van Barneveld | Tuesday 24th July 2018, 22:15 | Sky Sports

Tuesday’s tussle between former World Champions Gary Anderson and Raymond Van Barneveld has the minerals to be a great.

The duo have a level of game few can live with yet are also susceptible to throwing in a shocker.

Following their opening round wins, the Flying Scotsman and Barney have both spoken negatively of the Winter Gardens stage.

Van Barneveld has been travelling the US since his World Cup victory back in early June and has since admitted last Monday was the first time he’d picked up a dart.

A 10-6 victory against Kyle Anderson flattered the Dutch great who was clearly frustrated with his own game. Whilst he must be respected, we can oppose him here.

Barney has a tendency to let his head drop when things aren’t going his way. It was evident in spells versus the Original on Sunday night.

The infamous heat on stage in Blackpool is also a mark we can put against the diabetic Dutchman, whose concentration and drive aren’t at the standard they once were.

Anderson’s poor Matchplay record is somewhat of a surprise given the format should suit a player who debatably boasts the most talent on the globe. After a slow start against Stephen Bunting on Sunday, he found his rhythm.

Six of the ten legs he won were in 15 darts or fewer and any such showing this Tuesday can see a comfortable victory. The two-time World Champ’s relentless scoring means he’s dangerous against the throw.

Gary boasts the superior average both on stage and the floor this year. In the opening round he averaged 97 compared to Barney’s 91.

Although he won’t admit it, Anderson has a fantastic opportunity to add the World Matchplay to his resume now MVG has been dismissed. There has been retirement talk around the Scotsman, who is still playing phenomenal stuff in what are apparently his twilight years.

We can chance the 17/20 about Gary Anderson -2.5 legs. A score of 11-8 or any greater Anderson victory sees a winner paid here.

Back in March, Gary won the UK Open, winning all six matches en-route by at least this margin. His 10-7 win v Bunting on Sunday also saw this bet land.