2019-20 PDC World Darts Championship – Josh Payne vs Diogo Portela Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Josh Payne vs Diogo Portela taking place? Wednesday 18th December, 2019 – evening
Where is Josh Payne vs Diogo Portela taking place? Alexandra Palace, London
What channel is Josh Payne vs Diogo Portela on? Sky Sports Darts
Where can I stream Josh Payne vs Diogo Portela? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via Sky Go
Where can I get tickets for Josh Payne vs Diogo Portela? https://www.pdc.tv/william-hill-world-darts-championship-tickets
What was the outcome in the last meeting? Diogo Portela beat Josh Payne 6-3
THE PLAYERS
JOSH PAYNE
- Josh Payne is making his third appearance at the PDC World Championship. He lost to Terry Jenkins on his debut three years ago and then returned last year where he lost in round two to Dave Chisnall.
- In that round two match against Chisnall, Payne had looked set for a tremendous victory after winning the first seven legs of the match whilst averaging 110. The game was to completely turn on its head though as Chisnall won three sets in a row to snatch victory from Payne’s hands.
- Payne had his best run in a PDC major earlier this year when he reached the quarter-finals at the UK Open in March. Since then, his results on tour have not been good overall with no other quarter-final appearances since that tournament.
DIOGO PORTELA
- Diogo Portela from Brazil is competing at the PDC World Championship for a third successive year, courtesy of winning the Central & South American Qualifier.
- He had looked on course to win his first match at the World Championship last year when he led Ron Meulenkamp by two sets to nil only to lose the next three sets to the Dutchman.
- Portela failed to win a Tour Card at the start of 2019 so his appearances on the PDC circuit have mainly been restricted to the second-tier Challenge Tour this season, whilst he has also made some appearances in BDO tournaments most recently in October where he reached the semi-finals at the Northern Ireland Open.
THE PREDICTION
Both of these players are returning to Alexandra Palace hoping to banish their demons from the 2018-19 PDC World Championship when they exited the tournament despite leading 2-0 in their respective matches. Neither player has enjoyed much success this season, and Payne in particular will have hoped for much better after reaching the quarter-finals at the UK Open in March. Of the two, it is Payne who has the better pedigree and generally has a higher level of performance and he is predicted to progress to the second round.
