2025 European Darts Open Betting Preview – JP
2025 European Darts Open Betting Preview
It was difficult weekend for James Punt at the Dutch Darts Championship but he is looking to do much better at ET8. You can check out his 2025 European Darts Open preview and tips below.
Last Weekend
It was a disappointing Dutch Darts Championship last weekend. I thought the selections were good value and fancied one or two to go deep but not for the first time, Van Duijvenbode and Ross Smith failed to take their chances in their third round matches, both losing 5-6. Josh Rock was just plain poor, losing to Pikachu and Chisnall fluffed it against Edhouse, losing 5-6.
The event was won by Jonny Clayton, who was close to getting a pick on the basis of his venue form, but on the back of five straight Euro Tour defeats, he was passed over. We are halfway through the Euro Tour season now and we have had a different winner at each event so far.
Leverkusen Withdrawals
This weekend the Euro Tour moves to Leverkusen and the European Darts Open. Looking at the early entry list on Wednesday, we have got four withdrawals so far.
MVG is going to be away from darts for a while as he sorts his divorce out. Luke Littler won’t play in the German Euro Tour events. Josh Rock has decided to stay away and Gerwyn Price has also withdrawn and done it on time for a change. As of Thursday, Cross has now joined the withdrawal list, as has Luke Humphries. That is six of the initial seeds out
Still in is Aspinall and I suspect he may be a late withdrawal, along with Anderson who doesn’t have to play in any more of these as he has already qualified for the finals. So he will not be here. However, having waited to see the draw, Aspinall and Anderson are both still entered, maybe for good reason with so many of the big guns not coming.
From the reserve list we will see Ryan Joyce, William O’Connor, Ricardo Pietreczko, Niels Zonneveld, Madars Razma and Matt Campbell.
The 2025 European Darts Open Seeds
1 Stephen Bunting
Probably enjoyed his week off after the end of his PL participation last week. He has lost eight of his last ten matches, mostly in the PL, but also two Euro Tour events. Bunting won ET3 and as such has done enough to make the European Championships.
He will now be getting back into the ‘normal’ rhythm of Euro Tour, Players Championships in the build up to the Matchplay in mid-July. Normally I would rule out anyone who has lost eight of their last ten, but he was playing the best of the best and while he hasn’t been at his best, he has been playing OK.
I suspect his form will pick up as he unwinds from the PL. None of the first seven Euro Tour events have been won by the number 1 seed in 2025.
2 Jonny Clayton
Things are suddenly looking up for The Ferret. He won PC14 in Rosmalen in mid-April and won ET7 in Rosmalen last weekend. It is either a Rosmalen thing, or he is back in top form. Probably a bit of both.
His ET form had been very poor up to last weekend and it will be interesting to see if he can back it up with another good run this weekend. The number 2 seed has won three of the Euro Tour titles in 2025.
3 Damon Heta
Has lost seven of his last ten matches and is playing with no consistency. Heta has made just one quarter final on the Euro Tour in 2025, which is well shy of what he usually does. He is a money farmer, not a title accumulator, and his general form is not good.
4 Chris Dobey
Another player who has stepped off the PL roundabout and it will be interesting to see if he can start to improve his rather poor Euro Tour record. He has lost seven of his last ten matches, mostly PL, but on the Euro Tour, he has lost six of his eight matches and fallen at the first fence five times.
5 Nathan Aspinall
The only PL semi-finalist to be entered. If he were to win the PL final, he won’t come, but even if he does, I don’t expect much from him. He has been all about the PL for weeks now and it will take a while to come down off that mountain.
6 James Wade
Lost six of his last ten matches and lost six of his last eight on the Euro Tour. Very hard to fancy.
7 Dave Chisnall
One of our selections last weekend and he missed his chance to beat Ritchie Edhouse in his opening match. Chizzy has won seven of his last ten matches and is coming back from a long term injury and it will take him a while to get it all back. He is the defending champion having beaten Ross Smith in last year’s final. He can still be considered in what is a weak field.
8 Peter Wright
Lost six of his last ten matches but he has reached three Euro Tour quarter finals in 2025, though as a seeded player, that means just winning two matches. His lack of consistency is preventing him going much further.
9 Gary Anderson
He is still on the entry list after the draw has been made, which suggests that Anderson will be making a surprise appearance on the Euro Tour. I guess with the number of seeds pulling out, he can see an opportunity to pick up some easy ranking money.
Anderson won the European Darts Grand Prix four weeks ago and he has won eight of his last ten matches. He has only played in three Euro Tour events so far, winning one and reaching a semi-final in ET2. He is now the tournament favourite.
10 Danny Noppert
Has won seven of his last ten matches and made the quarter final of the Dutch Darts Championship last weekend. His overall record on the Euro Tour is disappointing but his form is on the up.
11 Ross Smith
Another week of being elevated to seeded status, but will he take advantage this weekend? Smudger is becoming annoying to follow. Does he want it too much? He has the game to win these titles but just keeps on dropping the ball. He won the recent PC16 title and has won eight of his last ten matches. That means he is one of the form players coming into the event and he has to be respected.
12 Martin Schindler
A very good Euro Tour player and knows how to take his chances. He is already a winner in 2025, picking up the Austrian Darts Open five weeks ago. His form has tailed off a bit since then and five of his last ten matches have seen sub 90 averages.
13 Ryan Searle
The winner of six of his last ten matches, but he is struggling on the Euro Tour where he has played twelve and won just five. He made the quarter final last weekend, which was his best result this season in Europe, but he has been struggling to string a run of wins together for a while now.
14 Michael Smith
Much the same can be said for Michael Smith. He has lost five of his last ten matches and hit four sub 90 averages. He has played some great stuff as well but he needs more consistency before becoming backable.
Smith remains outside of the qualifying list for the Matchplay, and only just inside the Grand Prix entry list. He is feeling the pressure but with a decent draw he can make some inroads this weekend.
15 Mike De Decker
Has only won five of his last ten matches and he was playing better darts earlier in the season. He should be doing better.
16 Gian van Veen
The kind of player who can win one these and has been a runner up twice, including once this year. Van Veen is one of the game’s heavy hitters, averaging 98.20 in 2025. He is not in top form right now, however, losing four of his last ten matches. He lost in the first round last week, another victim of the massive Boris Krčmar. Gian just has not been catching my eye recently.
Best of the Rest
The unseeded players have one more match to win than the seeded players, but three have made it to a final in 2025. In a much weakened field this weekend, there has to be a better chance than usual for the unseeded players.
Wessell Nijman
Had his best Euro Tour result last weekend, reaching the semi-finals, losing 3-7 to Niko Springer. That was a bit of a surprise as his re-tournament form was poor. He has won five of his last ten matches, four of them last weekend. He was poor in the semi-final, playing more like he had been before coming into the tournament. If that good run has inspired him, he could have another decent run.
Dirk van Duijvenbode
Very much like Ross Smith, Dirk has the game to win these events, but he keeps on coming up short. Last weekend he lost 6-5 to Wessell Nijman in the third round. He was 1-4 down but fought back, only to miss a match dart. That sums him up on the Euro Tour.
In terms of scoring consistency, Dirk has to be one of the best in this event. In terms of converting his chances, he is not great. He has won seven of his last ten matches and has to be on the short list, but has he got a winner’s mentality?
Ricardo Pietreczko
Made the quarter final last weekend and played some good stuff before losing 2-6 to Niko Springer. That was Pikachu’s best run for a while and there are signs that his form is improving. Back on home soil, he can be considered as a tricky opponent, but winning a second Euro Tour title is a bit of a stretch.
Niko Springer
Made his first Euro Tour final last weekend and it wasn’t a fluke. He wasn’t great against Bunting in round two but it was just one of those matches where both players didn’t get going. Otherwise, he played well, smashing up Wattimena, Schindler, Pietreczko and Nijman before losing 6-8 to Clayton in his first senior PDC final.
He is a very good player and seems to have his head screwed on in a way that Van Duijvenbode doesn’t. It will be interesting how he gets on in front of an expectant home crowd. He has won twelve of his last thirteen matches and is definitely a contender.
The 2025 European Darts Open Draw
First Quarter
Bunting faces the curse of the number 1 seed, and has also got to get over his losing habit from the PL. He was poor last weekend and I’d want to see some better stuff before backing him. Gian Van Veen has the game but is not at his best right now.
Gary Anderson is the most likely winner from this quarter. He is in top form, has won on the floor and added a Euro Tour title to that a few weeks ago. That he has made the commitment to actually get here, is a bit of a hint in itself. He is likely to face Wessell Nijman in his opening match, and that is a potential banana skin. Nijman is 2-0 vs. Anderson, both on the floor. Expect a lot of 180s if they do meet.
Second Quarter
The most competitive of the quarters. Chris Dobey is the top seed. He is no Euro Tour lover, but he has the game. His problem is that he faces the winner of the Dirk van Duijvenbode vs. Niko Springer first round match, and that match itself is worthy of a final.
At the bottom of the quarter is Martin Schindler, who may face Pietreczko in round two. Nathan Aspinall has already won on the Euro Tour, but he will have been playing in the big PL playoffs on Thursday night and he will have been preparing for that, not this. I am surprised he is still entered. Springer or Dirk for me, but one goes out in round 1.
Third Quarter
Jonny Clayton will attempt to go for back to back Euro Tour titles. His form is good, having won two ranking titles in less than three weeks. He is an accomplished title winner and worthy of support. Dave Chisnall was a recent Pro Tour runner up and while his loss to Edhouse last weekend was disappointing, he is another player who is used to winning on the Euro Tour. Noppert and De Decker are hard to get excited about on the Euro Tour.
Fourth Quarter
If Ross Smith can’t win this quarter, I will be surprised. The other seeds, Michael Smith, Damon Heta and James Wade are all very hard to fancy and there are none of the first round entrants who should be a threat. He won’t have a better chance to make another semi-final.
2025 European Darts Open Selections
Make no mistake, this is a very weak field for a Euro Tour event. Of the players that are here, there are not many who can be said to be in great form. Those that are, must have a good chance of a good run and maybe winning. The odds for most are not huge, but that doesn’t mean they are not good value.
Last year the event immediately after the PL final was the Dutch Darts Championship and that was won by Josh Rock, the 6th seed and Clayton, 16th seed, was runner up. Of the PL semi-finalists, only MVG turned out, as it was his home championship. He lost in the semi-final.
There are four selections this weekend, one from each quarter.
Anderson was very nearly a full point e/w, but for the fact that he will likely face Wessel Nijman in his opening match, and Nijman, a semi-finalist last week, is 2-0 with Anderson.
2025 European Darts Open Tip: 0.5 point e/w Gary Anderson to win @ 8.50 with Boylesports, BET365
It may be optimistic to back an outsider to make back to back finals, but he is in cracking form and a huge price. He has got a terrible draw, facing Dirk van Duijvenbode in round one, and if he wins that Dobey in round two, but he was very impressive last week. My biggest worry is the pressure of the home crowd.
2025 European Darts Open Tip: 0.5 point e/w Niko Springer to win @ 67.00 with Ladbrokes
Again, going for a back to back finalist, but The Ferret has found his winning boots recently and you have to follow the form players, of whom there are not many here this weekend. The number 2 seed has won three of the first seven Euro Tour titles in 2025.
2025 European Darts Open Tip: 0.5 point e/w Jonny Clayton to win @ 15.00 with Boylesports, Betfred
I am in danger of going broke backing Smudger, but he has a good draw and is in good form. I will give him another chance, and at least he has won us a few quid by being runner up in the Austrian Darts Open. Hopefully he can cash in again this weekend.
