Smudger is one of the biggest 180 hitters in darts. Over the course of 2024, his 180 per leg ratio is 0.37 per leg, which is better than 1 every 3 legs.

He is red hot favourite to win this match but Nebrida is durable. He’s played 3 matches on this Ally Pally stage previously and every one of them has gone the full 5 sets. This is the biggest test he’s ever faced in the PDC World Darts Championship and he’ll do well to take this all the way here.

Having said that he is capable of taking a set off Smith and if that’s the case Ross can fill the red bit the required 6 times or more. He may reach the target even if he wins 3-0 as he has shown he can bang the maximums in.

Smith was involved in that record-breaking match with Dirk Van Duijvenbode a couple of years ago and this year against Maik Kuivenhoven, he hit 8 in just 8 legs of darts. If he finds his groove, you’d have to fancy him to surpass the mark required.

Jeffrey De Graaf came through 3-1 against Rashad Sweeting in the first round, in a game which he was expected to win 3-0 with ease. He looked uncomfortable at times as the pressure was all on him. It’s rolls reversed here though and it’s a bit of a free hit against Gary Anderson.

In that match against Sweeting, he hit 3 180s drawing the maximum count with the man from the Bahamas and if that’s the standard he replicates here it won’t be enough to hit more than the Flying Scotsman.

Anderson is the premier 180 hitter this season at 0.40 per leg and has looked supreme at times throughout 2024. He has started replicating that standard in the TV events now also, as his performance at the Grand Slam of Darts justifies.

The pair have met twice this season and Anderson won the max count 5-3 and 3-2 in two relatively short matches. Expect lightning to strike thrice here.

The Irishman beat Willie O’Connor 3-1 on Friday night and during that match he hit 4 180’s and you have to think the line at 2.5 is achievable once again.

What was noticeable in that match was that he did most of best work in the latter stages of the match on the scoring front suggesting he was settled on the Ally Pally stage. With his first win on the stage under his belt the pressure is off him here.

Van Den Bergh, although a better stage player than floor player, has had his moments in this event, though last year he snatched defeat from the jaws of victory against Florian Hempel, throwing away a 2-0 set lead in a first to 3 race. Slevin has the potential to cause an upset here or at least push his opponent close. Either equation should be enough to see him accumulate the 3 180’s needed.