2026 European Championship Day 2 Tips – JP
2026 European Championship Day 2 Preview
James Punt got off to a slow start on Day 1 but he’s aiming to bounce straight back. Check out his 2026 European Championship Day 2 preview and tips below.
Day 1 Reflections
Thursday’s first round was a betting bloodbath. All four bets lost, a bit harshly at times, but lose they did. It was also a poor night of darts as a spectacle. The crowd was silent, there was no atmosphere, and it was reflected in the players’ performances.
Who impressed? James Wade was good after the first two legs but lost. Luke Woodhouse hit a nine darter in the first leg of the first match, which set the bar high for the rest of the night. Gerwyn Price averaged 99.26 in a win over Rob Cross, but it was as flat as a pancake. Bunting stole a match, or Noppert gifted it to him, but it was rubbish darts from both.
The star of the show? Kim Huybrechts. A 103.81 average and a 6-1 win over Ryan Searle, who played well. The late call up, who got to the venue with an hour to spare, was the player of the night. It is fair to say that I didn’t see that coming.
Will the Friday night session, with a few more people in attendance, be any better?
Ryan Joyce vs. Jermaine Wattimena
These two met just a few weeks ago in the Flanders Darts Trophy, with Joyce winning 6-5. Since then, he has played six and won three. He lost twice to Ross Smith but got wins over MVG and Danny Noppert at the World Grand Prix, reaching the quarter final. He has only played in one European Championship, reaching the quarter final last year.
Wattimena has won six of his last ten matches and played some good stuff on the floor, reaching a quarter and semi-final. He hasn’t fared so well in the stage events, losing seven of his last ten.
Wattimena has won his last three first round matches in this event and was runner up here in 2024. That was his best ever run in a major. In 2026, Wattimena has only played six matches on TV and lost five.
Their overall H2H record is 9-8 to Wattimena. In 2026 it is 2-1 to Joyce. They have played three TV matches before, Joyce winning two. All of them were in the Players Championship Finals. They have met on the European Tour five times, and Joyce has won four.
Wattimena is the 1.62 favourite, Joyce 2.50. I would say this is a bit of a coin toss, and the value lies with Joyce.
2026 European Championship Day 2 Tip: 1 point Ryan Joyce to win @ 2.50 with BET365, SpreadEx
Krzysztof Ratajski vs. Dave Chisnall
Dodgy match alert. Two very out of form players, but one of them has to win. Ratajski has lost seven of his last ten matches, and his tournament form is played seven round 1 matches and lost six.
Chizzy has won five of his last ten matches but he hasn’t beaten much or played well. On TV in 2026, Chisnall has played five matches and won one, and that was against world number 237, Scott Campbell, at the UK Open.
Their H2H record is 11-4 to Ratajski, and the Polish Eagle has won their last eight in a row.
Despite losing seven of his last ten matches, Ratajski is still the better player, playing better darts. He has been losing to the likes of Littler, Clayton, Humphries and Zonneveld, Chisnall has been losing to bums.
This is a great chance for Ratajski to improve his rubbish tournament record, and he is the 1.53 favourite. I was going to skip this match, and may regret not doing so, but I’ll take Ratajski on the handicap.
2026 European Championship Day 2 Tip: 1 point Ratajski to win -1.5 legs @ 1.85 with Boylesports
Nathan Aspinall vs. Cristo Reyes
Aspinall has won seven of his last ten matches. He reached the semi-final of the World Grand Prix, but his consistency has been poor. He averaged 102.45 against Michael Smith last weekend and followed it up with a 1-6 loss to Bunting, and a 90.89 average. The Asp has thrown in two absolute stinkers in his last six matches.
Reyes struggled to finally confirm his place here, but a run to last week’s third round was enough. He is playing much like Aspinall. In his last six matches he has hit a couple of ton plus averages, including a 110 last weekend, but also two sub 90s.
Their H2H record is 2-0 to Reyes, but they have not played for over nine years. I am happy to give this a wide berth. No bet.
2026 European Championship Day 2 Tip: No Bet
Jonny Clayton vs. Niko Springer
We have backed Clayton outright, so hopefully he can get past the tricky first round stage. He has won seven of his last ten matches and his average in his last six matches has been 103. Impressive.
Springer has lost six of his last ten matches and he has only been beating bums. His TV record in 2026 is played five and won one, a 3-1 win over Pascal Rupprecht at the World Masters.
Their H2H record is 2-0 to Clayton, but both have been very close. Given Clayton’s recent form, he has to be fancied to make it 3-0 and a close match would be a surprise. He is the 1.37 favourite, and as we are on outright, that is enough interest in the match for me. No bet.
2026 European Championship Day 2 Tip: No Bet
Luke Littler vs. William O’Connor
O’Connor has been known to do a bit of amateur boxing, and I guess in a first to six leg format, he might have a puncher’s chance. Littler lost his first round match here in 2024, 4-6 to Andrew Gilding. He just got weirded out. Last year he thrashed RVB 6-1, before losing to Wade in round two, but he played well in both matches.
Littler has won six of his last ten senior matches, so he hasn’t been at his best recently, but a bad performance from Littler is something like a 96 average. He has lost to the likes of Clayton, Dolan and Wattimena, so it can be done.
Land A Blow
O’Connor has lost five of his last ten matches, but he has hit two ton plus averages in his last four matches, so there is some hope for him landing a haymaker. However, it might on his own chin. He is rarely the most robust of players and can give up a bit too easily. He has played Littler once, in a players championship match in August, Littler winning 6-3.
Littler is the 1.17 favourite, but the money has been going onto O’Connor, and he is now the 6.00 outsider. I don’t see any value in the odds, but if you had to have a bet, O’Connor is the only choice, for 50p. The crowd might give him a hard time, but the place was like a morgue last night.
2026 European Championship Day 2 Tip: No Bet
Wessel Nijman vs. Martin Schindler
Nijman has won five of his last ten matches, and on stage, also five from ten. On TV….. also five from ten. Nijman lost in the first round here last year, 5-6 to MVG.
Schindler has not been in great form for a while now, and it was a struggle to get here. He managed to beat Karel Sedlacek 6-4 last weekend to get over the line, but Sedlacek was struggling on the doubles.
Schindler did hit a 104 average in the second round, but lost 4-6 to Heta. His form is not good, but there are flashes of his A game now and then. Schindler’s record in the tournament is poor, winning just one match from six events.
Their H2H record is 6-2 to Nijman, and at senior level, 4-1. It is 1-1 in 2025, both requiring a deciding leg, indeed their last three matches have all been 6-5 results.
Nijman is the 1.50 favourite, while Schindler is being backed and is into 2.88. I’ will have a go with an overs bet.
2026 European Championship Day 2 Tip: 1 point over 9.5 legs @ 2.20 with Betfair
Kevin Doets vs. Michael van Gerwen
Doets is the 1.80 favourite, MVG 2.20. Doets has won six of his last ten matches, but lost three of his last four. To be fair, his last match saw a 105.64 average and a 5-6 loss to Luke Humphries.
MVG has lost six of his last ten matches, his last four in a row, and eight of his last twelve. His confidence has gone.
Their H2H record is 2-2, but they haven’t played for two and a half years. Since then Doets has become one of the best up and coming players, while MVG has lost his mojo.
Doets has not done much on TV, but it will surely come. Now is a good time to get going.
It has to be Doets.
2026 European Championship Day 2 Tip: 1 point Kevin Doets to win @ 1.80 with Hills
Josh Rock vs. Chris Dobey
Josh Rock has lost five of his last ten matches, which reflects the inconsistency in his game. He has only played four matches in the last month and lost three. It was a month and a day ago when he lost 3-6 to Chris Dobey.
Dobey has also won five of his last ten matches, but he has lost his last four. He isn’t a great stage player but he has had a semi-final here, and a quarter final. He is 3-1 for his first round matches at the Westfalenhallen. Rock, on the other hand, has played four and lost three.
Their H2H record is 6-3 to Dobey. He has won six of their last seven matches and his last three wins have been 6-3.
Dobey is 1.80 favourite, Rock 2.10. It is a bit of a rule of mine not to back Dobey in a stage match, but I have to have a dabble on the correct score.
