2026 European Darts Open Saturday Preview – JP
2026 European Darts Open Saturday Preview
Check out James Punt’s 2026 European Darts Open Saturday betting preview below.
Afternoon Reflections
It was a better day at the office this afternoon, even if it ended with Maxx Hopp missing six darts to take the match to 4-5 and land the overs bet and set up the 6-5 score. Annoying. Still, it was a 2.75 point profit overall.
Stephen Bunting vs. Ryan Joyce
Joyce went through the motions in his 6-1 win over the Finn Mio Varila yesterday. We didn’t learn much from that. Joyce has won six of his last ten matches and is playing well enough but not his best. Relentless has played six second round matches in 2026 and won five, so he is now very used to the Euro Tour stages and more comfortable with the traveling.
Bunting has won five of his last ten matches, he is playing well but has just faced some great players playing better. However, it will be frustrating to be playing well and not getting a lot out of it.
Bunting has had plenty of good runs on the floor but has been getting beaten in the quarter or semi-finals. On the Euro Tour, Bunting has played in seven events and won just five matches, four of them second round matches.
Both have good round two records, but somebody will lose this one. Their H2H record is 5-4 to Bunting and they have only met on the Euro Tour stage once before with Joyce winning 6-4 last year. That was a great match, both averaged over the ton and both were 50% on the doubles.
Bunting is the 1.53 favourite, Joyce 2.75. I have it a bit closer than that but I will go for an overs match.
2026 European Darts Open Saturday Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 1.85 with Boylesports
James Wade vs. Maik Kuivenhoven
Kuivenhoven poured more salt into Daryl Gurney’s wounds with a 6-3 win. He played well enough, averaging 93.49. He has won six of his last ten matches but half saw sub 90 averages, so he is not banker material. In his previous thirteen Euro Tour events, Kuivenhoven has only ever played six second round matches and won just one, back in 2020.
Wade has won five of his last ten matches, but two of his losses were to Luke Littler. In his last six matches he has hit four 100+ averages and a 99.86, so he looks to be in good nick.
Their H2H record is 5-1 to Wade and he has won their last four in a row.
Wade is the 1.40 favourite, Kuivenhoven 3.25. Wade won their only other Euro Tour match 6-3 and this match has that sort of feel to it.
2026 European Darts Open Saturday Tip: 0.5 point Wade to win 6-3 @ 5.50 generally available
Jonny Clayton vs. Karel Sedlacek
Evil Charlie just about managed to beat Rhys Griffth 6-5 yesterday in a match that was entertaining, but messy in parts. Sedlacek has lost six of his last ten matches.
The Ferret has won six of his last ten matches but has had a couple of weeks off. Their H2H record is 4-2 to Clayton, all floor events, and Clayton won their only match in 2026 6-5 a month ago.
Clayton is the 1.40 favourite, Sedlacek 3.25. Clayton can be backed at 1.67 with a -1.5 leg handicap, but the value is marginal. No bet.
2026 European Darts Open Saturday Tip: No Bet
Michael van Gerwen vs. Joe Cullen
These two have had a few good battles in Euro Tour finals back in the day, Cullen sometimes getting the better of MVG when he was the dominant force in darts.
Cullen beat Charlie Manby 6-4 last night and it was a good performance, averaging 97.62. The Rockstar has won five of his last ten matches but in his last six matches he has averaged over 96, so his recent form is strong.
MVG has won six of his last ten matches and isn’t playing quite as well as Cullen has been doing. On the Euro Tour MVG has won five of his seven second round matches in 2026, the last two in a deciding leg. Cullen has played six second round matches and lost five.
Their H2H record is 27-10 to MVG and he has won their last seven in a row. They have not played since 2024. MVG is the 1.53 favourite, Cullen 2.70. I expect Cullen to be able to give MVG a game given his current form, but can MVG keep his good run against Cullen going? The odds about the GOAT are tempting enough.
2026 European Darts Open Saturday Tip: 1 point Joe Cullen to win @ 2.70 with Livescorebet
Gian Van Veen vs. Niko Springer
Springer dug out a 105.21 average in a 6-2 win over Labanauskas last night. He does things like that and then goes and hits a low 90. He has won five of his last ten matches and hit two ton plus averages and two sub-85. The German is not a player who is easy to predict.
Gian van Veen has been struggling with his form for a few months now and his win rate is down to 57%, which is not elite level. He has won seven of his last ten matches and he reached a semi-final on Tuesday but didn’t set the world on fire getting there. We see flashes of his best form, but there are more pretty ordinary performances than good ones.
This is too tricky to bet on. Springer is unpredictable, and Van Veen can be anything at the moment. No bet.
2026 European Darts Open Saturday Tip: No bet
Martin Schindler vs. Kevin Doets
Doets was in great form in his 6-4 win over Dominic Gruellich. He was the better player and should have won a little easier. He now faces Schindler and 3500 German fans. Doets has won six of his last ten matches and he has won six of his seven second round ET matches.
Schindler has been struggling for form for a while and has lost six of his last ten matches and his last four in a row. Schindy has won five of his nine second round matches, but lost the last two, both 5-6. He does have home advantage, but so did Gruellich.
Their H2H record is a surprising 6-2 to Schindler and he won their last three, all 6-5.
Doets is the 1.57 favourite, Schindler 2.63. On home soil, Schindler is always that bit better and I think this could be tight match.
2026 European Darts Open Saturday Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 2.00 with Betfair
Nathan Aspinall vs. Mickey Mansell
Mansell beat the Czech qualifier 6-1 in a meaningless match form wise. He has won seven of his last ten matches but has hit five sub 80 averages. Mansell has played two second round matches in 2026 and lost both. He has only won one of his last ten Euro Tour second round matches.
Defending champion, Nathan Aspinall, has been a bit part time this year, which makes figuring out his form tricky. He only played seven matches in June and hasn’t played in July yet. He won two matches at the Slovak Darts Open three weeks ago and hit a 108.65 average in round three. He has won four of his six second round matches in 2026.
Aspinall won’t enjoy the slow pace of Mansell, but he is 4-1 in their H2Hs. They have not met since 2022 and they played twice that year and Aspinall won 6-4 and 6-5.
2026 European Darts Open Saturday Tip: 1 point Aspinall to win -1.5 legs @ 1.80 generally available
Ross Smith vs. Niels Zonneveld
Zonneveld beat Klose 6-2 with both players averaging 98+. He has won five of his last ten matches but is showing no sort of consistency with six 96+ averages and four sub-90s. His record in second round matches recently has been poor, losing his last four.
Smith has won six of his last ten matches but he hasn’t been showing a great deal of consistency. He has been playing well on the Euro Tour, winning ET7, was runner up in ET5 and reached the semi-final in Slovakia three weeks ago. He has won eight of his nine second round matches.
Their H2H record is 6-2 to Smith and their last match was in the second round of ET6 in May, with Smith winning 6-3.
Smith is the 1.73 favourite, Zonneveld 2.38.
