2026 European Darts GP R2 Preview & Tips – JP
2026 European Darts GP R2 Preview
Friday wasn’t the best of days for James Punt but hopefully, a better day awaits today. Check out his 2026 European Darts GP R2 preview and tips below.
Friday Night Reflections
It wasn’t a good first day, down -2.87 points, but at least both the outright best made it through the first round, so we go into day two with a full hand of four outrights on board.
Mike de Decker vs. Krzysztof Ratajski
De Decker is still hanging on to seeded status, but Ratajski is the better player right now. The Polish Eagle didn’t get out of first gear in a 6-3 win over a local qualifier who managed a 75 average. Ratajski has won seven of his last ten matches and was a semi-finalist in Munich two weeks ago.
De Decker continues to struggle with things, on and off the oche. He has lost eight of his last ten matches and is the most out of form player in the field.
Ratajski is the 1.65 favourite and he is 4-2 against De Decker. They have played twice on the Euro Tour, their last two matches, in 2025 and 2024 and it was 1-1, both requiring a deciding leg. I’ll take Ratajski to win without the need for an eleventh leg.
2026 European Darts GP R2 Tip: Ratajski to win -1.5 legs @ 2.10 with Betvictor
Jermaine Wattimena vs. Kevin Doets
Hawkeye averaged 95.68 in a 6-4 win over Jurjen van der Velde in round one. That means he has won eight of his last ten matches and he is in great form.
Wattimena is very good when running hot, but his recent form is tepid, nay, cold, losing five of his last six matches.
Their H2H record is 5-2 to Doets and he is 1.75 to win again, which is good enough for me.
2026 European Darts GP R2 Tip: 1 point Kevin Doets to win @ 1.75 with Ladbrokes
Ryan Searle vs. Wessel Nijman
Nijman got off to a winning start, which has not been the case in the last two Euro Tournaments. He beat Ian White 6-2 with a leisurely 98.35 average. Nijman has won nine of his last ten matches and he is in top form.
Searle is a very good player, but he does struggle outside of the UK. He has won seven of his last ten matches and won PC7 three weeks ago, but he didn’t bother playing in this week’s Players Championships. He is something of a Gary Anderson apprentice and follows the master in taking a lot of time off. Maybe he should just skip these events as he has lost six of his last ten Euro Tour matches and lost two of his last four second round matches in 2026.
Their H2H record is 4-0 to Nijman and all were very easy wins with scorelines of 6-1, 6-1, 7-2 and 7-2.
2026 European Darts GP R2 Tip: 1 point Wessel Nijman to win -1.5 legs @ 2.10 with Betfair, Betvictor
Danny Noppert vs. Oskar Lukasiak
Lukasiak beat Daryl Gurney 6-5 in a dreadful first round match. Superchin was far from Super, averaging a miserable 77.80. Oskar only averaged 82.37 and he remains in poor form, losing five of his last ten matches, and hit seven sub 90 averages.
Noppert lost the final of the German Darts Grand Prix two weeks ago and lost both his first-round matches in this week’s Players Championships. He might have been in a bit of a huff but he did average 103.25 in his 3-6 loss to Wesley Plaisier.
There is a difference in class here and Noppert is the 1.15 favourite to win, which he will, but it is not a betting match for me.
2026 European Darts GP R2 Tip: No Bet
Chris Dobey vs. Andrew Gilding
These two met in the semi-final of PC9 on Monday, Dobey winning 7-1 on the way to winning his 10th Players Championship title. This is not a Players Championship event and Dobey is a far better floor player than a stage player.
Gilding beat Paul Kronhe 6-3 yesterday with the German missing seven doubles to land our over 9.5 legs bet. Yes, I am still fuming. Gilding deserved the win and has won seven of his last ten matches.
Can we expect a repeat of this week’s semi-final, or will the fact that this is a stage event make a difference? It might well do. Gilding is a better stage player than Dobey. He has won a major and won on the Euro Tour, two things Dobey has not done, and may never do.
Dobey is the 1.48 favourite, Gilding 3.00. Their H2H record is 7-6 to Dobey and he has won four of their last five matches. Dobey has won his three Euro Tour second round matches in 2026, losing just four legs. Part of me wants to oppose Dobey, but I will just give this a miss.
2026 European Darts GP R2 Tip: No Bet
Gary Anderson vs. Niko Springer
The lesser spotted Anderson makes his first appearance of spring. He hasn’t played for nearly three weeks and his only Euro Tour appearance in 2026 was a 2-6 loss to Wessel Nijman in ET1.
Anderson had won seven of his last ten matches before his little break and hit six ton plus averages. We have backed him outright, and hopefully he has retained that sort of form, but you can’t be sure.
Niko Springer played an unknown local qualifier who was making his Euro Tour debut last night. Springer won that 6-1, but it was no sort of guide. He has won six of his last ten matches but has hit seven sub 90 averages.
Their H2H record is 1-1, both played last year. Anderson is the 1.40 favourite, Springer 3.25. We are on Anderson outright and that is enough of an interest for me. No bet.
2026 European Darts GP R2 Tip: No Bet
Stephen Bunting vs. Mickey Mansell
Mansell was a deserved winner yesterday, beating Rob Cross 6-2 and averaging 100.32. He has won five of his last ten matches and his form has been all over the place. In those ten matches, he has hit everything from a 106.62 to a 71.42 average.
Bunting has lost six of his last ten matches, but half of those were in the PL against the very best players. He hasn’t been in his best form, but his B game is low 90s and that is likely to be enough.
Their H2H record is 5-5 and Bunting does not like Mansell’s pace of play. He has won their last three matches, including a 6-5 win in PC7 three weeks ago. Their last three have all seen over 9.5 legs.
2026 European Darts GP R2 Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 1.78 with Unibet
Josh Rock vs. Keane Barry
An all-Ireland clash to close the afternoon session. Barry beat the in-form Niels Zonneveld 6-3 yesterday with a solid 95.73 average. He has won seven of his last ten matches and is playing OK, but not very consistently.
Rock has been tied down by the Premier League in 2026, but at least he has started winning a few matches. He has won six of his last ten matches and is playing better than Barry, on the whole.
Their H2H record is 6-1 to Rock which is no great surprise, Rock is the better player and a Euro Tour winner. Barry has only ever won four Euro Tour second round matches.
Rock is the 1.50 favourite, Barry 2.80. Rock has won their last two matches 6-3 and something similar would be no surprise.
