Gary Anderson vs James Wade – Wade To Win – 21st July 2020

Battling Wade can bring down the Flying Scotsman

Gary Anderson/ Scotland ©imago images / Action Plus 20.02.2020

Scotland Gary Anderson vs James Wade England
21st July 2000hrs
Darts – England – World Matchplay
Pick James Wade To Win
Bookmaker Unibet
Odds: 13/10 odds taken 1952 GMT Sunday, 19th July

This is a heavyweight clash in the top half of the World Matchplay Darts 2020 draw.

The winner of this could meet Michael van Gerwen in the quarter finals, so there’s not much of a prize ahead.

Anyway, Gary Anderson looked in good shape in the opening round, while James Wade needed some extra legs to get past the challenge of Keegan Brown.

Bet at Unibet

 

Gary Anderson Preview – Flying Scotsman starts strongly at Milton Keynes

Gary Anderson will be happy with his opening round fixture, no doubt.

He was up against Justin Pipe and Anderson secured a 10-5 win with relative comfort.

Anderson got the win under his belt with a three dart average of 90 which will need to be improved upon as the tournament progresses.

Through the PDC Summer Series which were held earlier this month, Anderson didn’t look in great form.

His only effort of note was reaching the semi final of the second of those five events.

Anderson has had his struggles with form and injury over the last couple of years.

He won the World Matchplay back in 2018 when he was really on top of his game, beating Mensur Suljovic in a memorable final.

Our betting prediction:
Wade +1.5 Handicap
11/10

Bet at Boylesports

(odds taken 1952 GMT Sunday, 19th July)

 

With so little pro darts being played this year, the comfortable ride in the opening round will have suited Anderson well.

The question is, can he build on that performance now in taking on a much better opponent.

We can look back to the Premier League of Darts 2020 season, which is half-completed, for some form.

Gary Anderson won two of six matches there against stiffer opposition but he is favourite for this one.

A -2.5 handicap for Anderson is at 13/10 odds* (odds taken 1952 GMT Sunday, 19th July).

 

James Wade Preview – Wade survives a scare

James Wade couldn’t shake off the attention of opponent Keegan Brown in his opener.

Wade had to go through a couple of extra legs to get the job done in the end, securing a 12-10 success.

So that was a bigger battle than he would ever have expected and the Englishman lines up as the underdog here.

But he is through and he has had some pretty decent warm-up action by winning the PDC Summer Series 4 tournament and then reaching the quarter final in the fifth.

Wade has reached the final of the World Matchplay five times in his career and has lost them all.

The most recent of those was in 2015 when he went down against Michael van Gerwen.

Don’t miss out on other Betting Tips & Predictions

Football Betting Tips

Click here for more Betting Tips

 

There has been plenty of action between these two in the past and Wade won the most recent meeting.

That happened at the 2019 Champions League of Darts in the group stage.

However, that snapped a six match winless streak that he had been on against the Scotsman (losing five on the spin).

The overall head to head sees Wade trail W17 D4 L33.

He is more than capable on his day of winning fixtures like this and his track record at the World Matchplay is fairly good, despite not winning.

Can the underdog be trusted enough to get the win under his belt?

 

Gary Anderson vs James Wade Betting Advice

This is a great-looking match up. Anderson is not in his best form and Wade should really push him hard in this one.

That opening battle for Wade can be looked at in two ways, an exhausting effort or crucial extra time at the oche.

We think the latter in this disjointed year and even in that his three-dart average was way better than Anderson’s was in his opening match.

 

Key Facts – Gary Anderson vs James Wade Betting Tip

  • Gary Anderson has lost one of the last seven against Wade
  • Gary Anderson is a former World Matchplay champion
  • James Wade has lost the five World Matchplay finals

 

So we do sense a sniff of an upset happening in this one and we just have to slightly lean towards Wade in the match outright.

If you wanted coverage than a Wade +1.5 handicap is at 11/10* (odds taken 1952 GMT Sunday, 19th July).

This has the look of being a match that could take some time to settle.

 

The best betting odds for Gary Anderson vs James Wade

Gary Anderson to win: 8/13 at Bet365
James Wade to win: 13/10 at Bet365