Gian van Veen v James Wade EVS Bet Builder Tips & Predictions

Wednesday 23 July, 20251 min read

Grant Heaney

Grant is a Glasgow-based sports betting analyst and keeps a close eye on all the goings-on in the fascinating world of Scottish football. While he has a strong passion for the SPFL, Grant is equally adept at crafting content on all of Europe’s major leagues, whether it be the Premier League or further afield. When not crunching the numbers and analysing the stats, Grant can often be found following his beloved Falkirk up and down the country.

I've put together a double around Evens for van Veen v Wade. Wade looks a good bet with a +4.5 leg handicap, while I'm expecting van Veen to hit plenty of maximums.

Gian van Veen v James Wade Bet Builder

PDC World Matchplay Quarter-Finals
20:15

2 Selections @ 2.05

James Wade (+4.5) Handicap

I think James Wade looks underrated for Thursday night’s clash with Gian van Veen. While I completely understand why van Veen is the favourite here, I expect Wade to have enough nous and experience to keep pace with the young Dutchman. Not only that, Wade has performed admirably across the opening two rounds, seeing off both Joe Cullen and Wessel Nijman with relative ease.

I get the feeling that Wade quietly relishes the underdog role, and that it perhaps makes him extra motivated. Despite being priced up as the firm outsider for his round two clash with Nijman, ‘The Machine’ saw off the Dutchman with a dominant display, averaging over 102 to complete an 11-5 victory. The dynamics are similar here, albeit van Veen does represent a tougher proposition.

That being said, I think Wade offers plenty of value with a +4.5 handicap start. The Aldershot ace knows what it takes to go all the way in Blackpool, and on current form, it’s difficult to envisage him getting blown away by van Veen on Thursday night.

Gian van Veen Most 180s

I’ve opposed James Wade in the Most 180s market in each of the first two rounds only for him to thwart my selections on both occasions. However, I’m not going to let that put me off here, especially now that he will be coming up against serial 180 hitter van Veen.

The young Dutch star is rubbing shoulders with the PDC’s elite when it comes to 180s scored this year, with only 10 other players hitting more so far. van Veen’s knack for filling up the treble 20 bed was on show in his round one win over Luke Humphries, as he comfortably outmaxed the world number one 8-3. ‘The Giant’ has since delivered a further 4 maximums in his second round success over Danny Noppert.

Wade, on the other hand, has managed to hit a combined total of 8 180s across his two matches so far. ‘The Machine’ is not renowned for being a heavy 180 hitter and I just can’t see him generating more maximums than van Veen over such a long format. The pair contested 20 legs in a European Championships clash two years ago, with van Veen winning the 180 battle 5-3 on that occasion.