Michael Smith and Gary Anderson will renew hostilities at this year’s World Grand Prix. The pair came up against each other at the World Matchplay in Blackpool in July, with Smith reeling off seven straight legs to triumph. Thus, it may come as a surprise to see Smith as the outsider here, at an appealing price.

While Anderson has been in irresistible form over the last year, he has struggled to transfer his floor form to major stages more often than not. ‘The Flying Scotsman’ has come up short in televised tussles with the likes of Andrew Gilding, Brendan Dolan and Martin Lukeman over the past 12 months.

‘Bully Boy’, in contrast, reached the play-offs in this year’s Premier League, the last-four of the World Matchplay and he contested the final of last month’s World Series of Darts Finals, making him the value option to oust Anderson at 2.25.

Michael Smith is well-renowned for being a serial 180 hitter and he looks well placed to land at least three against Gary Anderson at 2.25. The ‘Bully Boy’ has amassed no fewer than 447 maximums since the start of 2024, a return that ranks him fifth across the full PDC.

The St Helens star hit a sizeable 96 maximums across his 32 appearances in the 2024 Premier League. That equates to three 180s per-game, which is pretty impressive when considering the quickfire format of Premier League matches. It’s also worth noting that Smith delivered three or more maximums in three of his four matches at last year’s World Grand Prix.

The market is clearly expecting a barrage of 180’s from both Smith and Anderson on Tuesday night, and the former is more than capable of chipping in with at least three of his own.