2020 Betfred World Matchplay – Michael Smith vs Jonny Clayton Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Michael Smith vs Jonny Clayton taking place? Sunday 19th July, 2020 (session starts at 18:00 (UK))
Where is Michael Smith vs Jonny Clayton taking place? Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
What channel is Michael Smith vs Jonny Clayton on? Sky Sports
Where can I stream Michael Smith vs Jonny Clayton? Sky Sports subscribers can stream the match online via Sky Go
Where can I get tickets for Michael Smith vs Jonny Clayton? The 2020 Betfred World Matchplay will take place behind closed doors
What was the outcome in the last meeting? Michael Smith beat Jonny Clayton 7-1
THE LOWDOWN
MICHAEL SMITH
- Michael Smith comes to the 2020 World Matchplay still looking for his first major TV ranking title but he has come close and notably reached the final of this tournament a year ago.
- His World Matchplay record was not good prior to that run to the final 12 months ago as in six previous appearances he had never gone further than round two.
- A slimmed-down version of Smith returned to competitive action at the Summer Series last week with Bully Boy having lost weight during the enforced break and although his results weren’t eye-catching he is confident that the weight loss will not affect his game.
JONNY CLAYTON
- Jonny Clayton is making his third appearance at the World Matchplay and is still looking for his first win having lost to Michael Smith on his debut in 2018 and again in round one against Keegan Brown last year.
- The Welshman was a seeded player at the Matchplay in 2019 but having slipped out of the top 16 he has now been given the very tough task of facing Michael Smith in his opening game.
- Clayton will be buoyed by his performance at the last PDC major in March where he produced some outstanding displays on his way to the semi-finals of the UK Open in Minehead.
THE PREDICTION
This is a repeat of their first round encounter at the 2018 World Matchplay when Michael Smith progressed with a 10-6 win. This game is played in much different conditions though as not only is the venue different but the tournament is also played behind closed doors. Michael Smith starts as the favourite to win again - and rightly so - but it could be closer than that aforementioned meeting. The main betting tip is for over 9.5 180s in the game; both players are capable of landing a good number when they find their range and if this is a close contest then the number of legs played should enable them to pass that total.