Luke Humphries vs Dimitri Van den Bergh predictions: Belgian to provide big finish
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- Dimitri Van den Bergh has had the highest checkout in both of his games in Blackpool
- Luke Humphries is yet to register the highest checkout in a match at this year's event
- Recommended bet: Dimitri Van den Bergh to have the highest checkout
The World Matchplay at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool moves to the business end, with the second quarter-final seeing world champion Luke Humphries take on former Matchplay winner Dimitri Van den Bergh on Thursday.
The Dreammaker won this event in 2020 and has reached at least the semi-finals in three of the last four editions so cannot be underestimated by world number one Humphries, who has never triumphed at this tournament.
The stats
Dimitri Van den Bergh hit a nine darter in his opening round win over Martin Schindler, a match he won 10-6.
The Belgian also recorded the highest checkout the last time he faced Humphries in March.
Luke Humphries has averaged 108 and 102 in his two wins at this tournament so far over Ricardo Pietreczko and Stephen Bunting respectively.
Both of these men have won the PDC World Youth Championship, Van den Bergh triumphing in both 2017 and 2018, while Humphries prevailed in 2019.
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Prediction
Luke Humphries has been his usual ruthless self in his first two games at the World Matchplay, as the PDC number one chases a rare title he is yet to win.
He reached the semi-finals last year and will be looking to do so again as he takes on Dimitri Van den Bergh, who lifted the title in 2020.
Humphries is a short price to get the win after a pair of dominant successes in the opening two rounds of the tournament, beating Ricardo Pietreczko 10-4 and Stephen Bunting 11-7.
The world number one makes little appeal at the prices available and the way into this clash for punters may be the highest checkout market.
Humphries’ scoring power means that he often leaves his opponents back on high finishes as he methodically goes about his business.
This does mean that players can often get plenty of chances to take out a high checkout and that was seen in Cool Hand’s first two games, where Pietreczko and Bunting both had the higher finish.
The selection landed in the last meeting between these two men in March and Dancing Dimi can record the highest checkout once again on Thursday.
