2023 European Championship Saturday Night Tips – JP
2023 European Championship Saturday Preview
Another day, another string of winners for James Punt. He is back in action again for this evening’s session. Check out his 2023 European Championship Saturday night preview below.
Daryl Gurney vs. Gian van Veen
Daryl Gurney saw off one young pretender last night with a classy 6-2 over Josh Rock. He was 75% on the doubles and while Rock was just about outscoring him, Gurney took every chance going. He averaged 98.6 and it was further evidence of his return to form.
Superchin’s record in this event is either going out in the first round, or reaching the semi-final. His recent form sees six wins from his last ten matches.
Gian van Veen was even more impressive in his 6-1 demolition of Damon Heta, The Dutch youngster averaged 107 and was 67% on the outer ring. Heta just didn’t get a look in. That is what Van Veen can do when he has his A game.
Van Veen has won seven of his ten matches and he is starting to show a good degree of consistency with fewer off days.
Second Meeting
These two have only met once before, a Players Championship match in July, which Gurney won 6-3. It was a strange match in which Gurney only averaged 91 and was just 28% on the doubles, but he still managed a comfortable win. One H2H is not much to go on and this is a tricky match to call.
Van Veen is the 1.85 favourite and Gurney a 2.10 shot. Gurney is the more experienced player and Van Veen won’t have played many best of nineteen leg matches in his short career. It’s too tricky for me. No bet.
2023 European Championship Saturday Tip: No Bet
James Wade vs. Jose de Sousa
James Wade beat a crocked Dirk van Duijvenbode 6-3 last night in a match remarkable for its lack of quality. The injured Aubergenius averaged 75, Wade 80. At one point Wade was averaging 64 and winning. It is hard to read too much into a freak match but needless to say, Wade needs to play better this evening.
He has won six of his last ten matches. A win here and he will regain his top 16 place in the world rankings (although Chris Dobey is on his tail in that race), so it is an important match for Wade.
De Sousa won another very poor match against Jonny Clayton. I don’t know what has gone wrong with The Ferret’s form, but De Sousa was able to win 6-4 despite averaging just 89.
A Game?
Which one is going to be able to find their A game tonight? Wade has won six of his last ten and he is playing quite well but not his best.
De Sousa has won five of his last ten matches but his scoring has been low, very low compared to his glory days. Six of his last ten matches have seen sub 92 averages and his loss of form has been long term.
Wade is the 1.73 favourite and he looks the call here. Their H2H record is 4-2 to Wade with one draw in the premier league. They have played once in 2023 and Wade was the 6-5 winner just four weeks ago.
2023 European Championship Saturday Tip: 1 point James Wade to win @ 1.73 with Ladbrokes
Luke Humphries vs. Krzysztof Ratajski
Humphries looked a lot better than his 97 average in his 6-1 demolition of Brendan Dolan. That was only an average sort of performance from Cool Hand and The Polish Eagle is up against it here.
Ratajski beat Joe Cullen 6-3 last night and Cullen was pulling out his newly transplanted hair as it was a match he should have won. The Englishman completely outscored Ratajski but just couldn’t hit a double, and not for the first time recently.
Ratajski has lost six of his last ten matches and he isn’t in good form. A win is a win, as they say, but he will need to up his game to live with the ever improving Humphries. Ratajski has never reached the second round before and it took a complete meltdown from his opponent to get his first win the European Championship.
Strange H2H
Their H2H record is strange. It is 3-3, but Humphries has won their last three. They have played one best of 19 leg match. That was in last year’s Players Championship finals which Humphries won 10-7. It was some game with no less than seventeen 180s and Humphries averaged 105 to Ratajski’s 99.
They also met here last year in the first round and Humphries won that 6-4, averaging 102 to Ratajski’s 96.
Humphries is the 1.30 favourite and Ratajski 3.70. They last met in the World Series finals and Humphries won that 6-3. Ratajski averaged 98 in that match so he does seem to raise his game against Humphries, and he has to.
Perhaps a more relaxed Ratajski can once again give Humphries a tough match, but surely it is Humphries who will prevail.
2023 European Championship Saturday Tip: 0.5 point Humphries to win 10-7 @ 8.00 with Boylesports
Michael van Gerwen vs. Ricardo Pietreczko
MVG dodged a couple of bullets in last night’s 6-5 win over Madars Razma. The out of form Latvian found his best form out of the blue and averaged 105, but his only weakness was on the doubles. MVG was excellent on his doubles and that won him a match he really should have lost. It was still a good performance by MVG, but he was lucky.
Pietreczko was just too good for defending champion Ross Smith last night, averaging 104 in a 6-3 win. Smith didn’t do much wrong but was just out played.
Pietreczko is in great form, winning eight of his last ten matches. There were three sub 90 averages in those last ten matches and he is likely to need his ton plus game tonight. He has hit three in his last four matches.
These two have only met once and it was Pietreczko who won 7-6. That was just two weeks ago and Pietreczko went on to win the tournament. An omen?
MVG is the 1.30 favourite with Pietreczko the 3.70 favourite.
There is only one value bet here. Pietreczko is being priced like a no hoper and not a player who has won a European tour title, reached a Players Championship semi-final and a quarter final, all in the last two weeks.
