This has all the hallmarks of a classic especially after Callan Rydz produced a 107.06 average to defeat Romeo Grbavac 3-0 in the opening round. Rydz, who is very much a confidence player, looked sublime in that victory is capable of going on a streak of big performances and if he can get anywhere near that level here, the German is in trouble.

Schindler, who has won two Euro Tour events this year hasn’t quite lived up to the hype surrounding him in the big TV events, however. The most recent four events in front of the cameras have seen him lose in the last 16 of the World Grand Prix, the first round of the European Championship, the group stage of the Grand Slam of Darts and the last 16 of the Players Championship Finals. More was expected of him to be honest.

The pair have met once before this year and it was an excellent standard. Both players produced averages of 106 as Schindler won 6-2. Rydz however buoyed by his superb opening round display can push The Wall all the way. He’s been a Quarter Finalist here before and the signs are promising for him.

The Flying Scotsman is the favourite to win the bottom half of the World Championship draw and reach the final. He has been outstanding all year and should have arguably beaten Luke Littler in the Grand Slam of Darts but for a late, outstanding rally from ‘The Nuke’ that denied him.

That display however cemented the proof we’d seen this year that he’s one of the few players on the circuit who can live with Littler at his best and if he’s anywhere near that he should be too good for De Graaf.

His high standard is set by the power scoring he can produce. He’s hitting 180’s at 0.40 per leg, which is two in every five legs on average. He’s hit 26 in his last four matches. He lost 6-5 early to Ryan Meikle in the Players Championship Finals but even in defeat there he amassed five maximums. He should be able to do the match double here to advance to Round Three.

Van Den Bergh has had somewhat of a peculiar year. In fact, he’s been poor for most of it, winning just 48% of his matches throughout the season. Amidst that dross, however, he’s won the UK Open and reached the semi-final of the Masters and World Grand Prix. He also got to the Quarter Final of the Matchplay. He’s a player that’s difficult to assess at times but one thing is for certain, he’s a big stage player.

Given what we’ve seen from him throughout 2024, even if he wins this match, which there’s no guarantee, Slevin can take at least a set of him and this promises to be closer than the match odds suggest.

Slevin beat his Irish compatriot 3-1 in the opening round and was assertive throughout, throwing aggressively and never looking fully like relinquishing his lead, even if there was a mini resurgence from O’Connor at the mid-point. The pressure is off him here really and with a free hit at Van Den Bergh, he may produce some of his best darts.