Chris Dobey to Win the 3rd Quarter

Look to Chris Dobey to come through the 3rd quarter of the draw. Quarter 3 favourite Michael Smith is hard to fancy at unattractive odds given his up and down form this year, making Dobey the more appealing prospect to progress. ‘Hollywood’ should ease himself into the tournament with a win over either Stephen Burton or Alexander Merkx. If the market plays out to expectations, Dobey would then face a tricky test against Josh Rock, however his big stage experience could give him the edge against the young Northern Irishman. Thereafter, the aforementioned Smith would lie in wait. While ‘Bully Boy’ would likely be the bookmakers' favourite, he would be difficult to trust given how inconsistent he has been this season. In contrast, Dobey has been one of the most impressive players on the tour this year. The 34-year-old would also draw confidence from the fact that he saw off Smith with a stunning 4-0 victory at the same stage of the competition just 12 months ago. Should ‘Hollywood’ make it to back-to-back quarter-finals at this year’s World Darts Championship, he could come up against Gerwyn Price or Jonny Clayton. While neither of those potential opponents would be straightforward to get past, the 2024 form book would favour Dobey.

Gian van Veen To Reach the Quarter-Finals

Gian van Veen looks well placed to ruffle some feathers at the Alexandra Palace. Following a breakthrough year on the PDC tour, the Dutchman looks destined for future stardom. He has enjoyed a particularly strong end to 2024, most recently lifting the World Youth Championship title. In the days leading up to that triumph, van Veen took this year's Grand Slam of Darts by storm. ‘The Giant’ averaged a massive 108.89 during the group phase before posting an average of 106.45 in his round of 16 10-2 rout of Ryan Joyce. Having convincingly qualified for the quarter-finals of the Grand Slam, van Veen warrants support to make the last eight at this year's World Darts Championship. While potential ties with the likes of Ricardo Pietreczko, Rob Cross and Nathan Aspinall would be fraught with danger, neither of the aforementioned trio would be feeling relaxed about the prospect of running into van Veen. The Dutchman’s seasonal average of 94.64 isn't to be sniffed at, not to mention he has hit more maximums this year than any of the three above arrowsmiths that he could come up against. Thus, ‘The Giant’ looks more than capable of continuing his rise to the top by reaching the last eight at the Ally Pally.  

Dimitri van den Bergh to Reach the Quarter-Finals

Dimitri van den Bergh’s quiet efficiency often flies under the radar and that makes him an attractive option to forge a path into the quarter-final stage. The ’Dream Maker’ underlined his status as one of the best players on the planet by storming to big-stage glory at the UK Open earlier this year. He has since reached the last eight of the 2024 World Matchplay, while he formed part of the final four at the World Darts Championships only two years ago. Housed in the bottom half of quarter 4, a quarter-final berth looks well within range for Belgium’s number one. While the likes of Martin Schindler and Dave Chisnall are more than capable of posing van den Bergh one or two problems, the Belgian is a steady operator. On top of this, the world no. 11 has the required major stage experience and nous to navigate his way to the quarter-final stage.