Andrew Gilding and Krzysztof Ratajski go up against each other for a spot in the quarter-final stage of the World Matchplay at the Winter Gardens on Wednesday night. Gilding picked up his first Winter Gardens win since 2015 with a 10-5 victory over number 10 seed Peter Wright on Sunday evening. As for Ratajski, he stormed through to the round of 16 with a resounding 10-2 win over Dave Chisnall.

‘The Polish Eagle’ is the overwhelming favourite here but this contest could be a lot closer than the odds suggest. ‘Goldfinger’ will have taken plenty of positives away from his display against the aforementioned Wright and he will also draw confidence from his recent head-to-head record with Ratajski. The 2023 UK Open winner has triumphed in four of the five meetings between the pair, including each of the last four, the most recent of which was at the start of this month.

With that in mind, backing Gilding with a + 2.5 start on the handicap holds plenty of appeal. Both players are slow-paced and methodical and that could easily lead to this tie going the distance, making Gilding an appealing prospect with a +2.5 start.

Michael van Gerwen made an early statement of intent in his World Matchplay opener by defeating Luke Littler 10-6 on Monday night. The ‘Green Machine’ produced one of his best displays in some time against Littler, and by doing so sent a timely reminder to the rest of the World Matchplay field of just how formidable an opponent he can be.

The Dutchman’s reward for dumping out ‘The Nuke’ is a round two clash with Joe Cullen. ’The Rockstar’ produced a clinical performance in round one by claiming a 10-4 win over Brendan Dolan. However, van Gerwen will represent a real step up in class, especially if the three-time World Matchplay champion can replicate the type of rip-roaring performance that saw him put Littler to the sword.

On top of this, van Gerwen’s dominance in this fixture could give him the psychological edge ahead of the pair’s latest meeting at the Winter Gardens on Wednesday night. MVG has taken top honours in 16 of the overall 22 meetings between the duo, coming out on top in each of the last six encounters. Expect van Gerwen to overpower Cullen again and progress to the last eight.

Michael Smith will be on a revenge mission when he meets Chris Dobey in round two at the World Matchplay on Wednesday night. The two arrowsmiths came up against each other at this stage of the competition last year, with Dobey pulling off a shock to dump Smith out thanks to an 11-7 victory. ‘Hollywood’ continued to be a thorn in ‘Bully Boy’s’ side with a stunning 4-0 whitewash win at the 2024 World Darts Championship.

However, Smith should be in confident mood after producing a darting masterclass to get the better of 2018 champion Gary Anderson 10-5 on Monday night. The St Helens star roared back from 3-0 down and averaged an impressive 102.08 for good measure. Dobey, meanwhile, put in a professional performance to edge out Ritchie Edhouse 10-7 in round one.

Both players are very adept at delivering high checkouts, something that has been a running theme in each of their last two encounters. Smith put away a 121 and 140 across their past two tungsten tussles, while Dobey has delivered a pair of 130 checkouts. Therefore, backing either big hitter to deliver a checkout north of 120 seems a sensible solution during their latest showdown.

Ryan Searle and Rob Cross reached round two of the World Matchplay with contrasting journeys. Searle produced arguably the standout performance of round one to defeat Damon Heta 10-4. ‘Heavy Metal’ averaged 101.01 and had the Winter Gardens crowd on their feet with his remarkable 142 and 167 checkouts. Cross, on the other hand, came through a nerve-shredding opener to win 13-12 in a sudden-death leg against Gian van Veen on Sunday afternoon. The 33-year old survived six match darts to stumble over the line and avoid a shock early exit.

The pre-match odds suggest Cross will have a more comfortable time of things this time around but Searle looks well placed to push ‘Voltage’ all the way. The Somerset ace is consistently averaging in the mid-90s and he showed how deadly his double hitting can be when ruthlessly dispatching Aussie number one Heta.

While 2019 World Matchplay winner Cross will almost certainly prove a tougher nut to crack, Searle merits support with a +2.5 start on the handicap. Voltage is not renowned for blowing his opponents away and winning with room to spare, and he’s unlikely to have things all his own way against Heavy Metal.