2019 Betfred World Matchplay – Peter Wright vs Daryl Gurney Preview & Prediction

THE FACTS

When is Peter Wright vs Daryl Gurney taking place? Friday 25^th July, 2019

Where is Peter Wright vs Daryl Gurney taking place? Winter Gardens, Blackpool

What channel is Peter Wright vs Daryl Gurney on? Sky Sports Action

Where can I stream Peter Wright vs Daryl Gurney? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via Sky Go

Where can I get tickets for Peter Wright vs Daryl Gurney? Check https://www.pdc.tv/betfred-world-matchplay-tickets for ticket information

THE STATISTICS

All-time meetings: Peter Wright 15-8 Daryl Gurney (3 draws)
Last meeting: Peter Wright beat Daryl Gurney 8-6

THE PLAYERS

PETER WRIGHT

• Peter Wright trounced Simon Whitlock 11-2 on Wednesday night to extend his current winning streak to 20 matches. The number six seed has now reached the quarter-finals at the World Matchplay for the fifth consecutive year with just seven legs dropped in his opening two matches of the 2019 tournament.
  
• Snakebite survived a missed dart at double from Whitlock in the opening leg before reeling off five successive legs against his beleaguered opponent. It was a run which included a 170 checkout, and although the Aussie did stop the rot and get off the mark, he never looked likely to halt Wright’s dominant procession into the last eight.
  
• Wright’s average of 103.01 against Whitlock was the highest from the opening two rounds of the tournament and it increased his current sequence to eight consecutive matches with an average of 102 or above.

DARYL GURNEY

• Daryl Gurney made hard work of seeing off the challenge of Keegan Brown in an 11-9 victory on Wednesday evening which saw the number three seed through to the quarter-finals at the World Matchplay for the second time in his career.
• The Northern Irishman was always in front against Brown having established a 3-0 lead despite missing 11 attempts at double across the opening three legs. It was a lead that Gurney never let slip and when he did have his throw broken by Brown twice late in the game, he responded with a break back on both occasions.
• No player hit more 180s over the opening two rounds than Gurney’s total of 17, which shows how good the scoring side of his game is, but a big improvement on his finishing is surely needed as his tournament checkout percentage is less than 33%.

THE PREDICTION

Peter Wright continued to show what formidable form he is currently in when he blitzed Simon Whitlock 11-2 to ease through to the quarter-finals. Snakebite has won 20 consecutive games and has averaged at least 102 in the last eight of those matches. The fact he has not been tinkering with his darts looks to be paying off and he looks determined to capture his first World Matchplay title. Daryl Gurney made heavy work of seeing off both Ricky Evans and Keegan Brown on his way through to the quarter-finals. What should have been more comfortable victories have been made edgier than necessary due to some errant finishing from the number three seed, and a huge improvement looks necessary if he is to stop Snakebite’s considerable momentum. Wright came out on top 17-15 when they met in the semi-finals at the 2017 World Matchplay and the Scotsman is predicted to prevail again. Both players have been in excellent 180 hitting form so a total of over 16.5 in the game is also tipped.