James Wade vs Stephen Bunting
27th December 1200hrs
Darts – England – PDC World Championships
Pick Wade -1.5 Handicap
Bookmaker Ladbrokes
Odds: 4/6 odds recorded 0512 GMT Thursday, 24th December
We move on to the third round of action at the 2021 World Darts Championship on Sunday.
This will be a battle between two Enlgihsman and two of the seeded players in the draw as well.
7th seed James Wade will face up to 26th seed Stephen Bunting for a place in the fourth round. The winner of this will face either Kim Huybrechts or Ryan Searle there.
Table of Contents
James Wade Preview – Wade favourite to make progress
James Wade opened his 2021 World Darts Championships in the second round as one of the seeded players in the draw.
Wade opened against Callan Rydz and collected a comfortable victory, barely giving his opponent a chance to get into the match.
Wade cruised to a 3-0 result with a three dart average of 9 in the match.
James Wade is the strong 4/11 odds-on favourite to pick up the match victory on Sunday as the action at the Alexandra Palace picks back up* (odds recorded 0512 GMT Thursday, 24th December).
Wade has not been past the fourth round in any of his last three appearances at the World Darts Championship.
The best efforts that “The Machine ” has taken at the tournament has been semi-finals exits on three separate occasions.
He certainly opened in good enough fashion to suggest that he has got his eye in already.
In the correct score market, a Wade 4-1 option is at 10/3* (odds recorded 0512 GMT Thursday, 24th December).
Wade has met Bunting eight times before and he actually trails that head to head W2 D2 L4.
The most recent meeting between the two players was in a Players Championship Barnsley fixture last year which Wade won.
That was their first meeting since 2015 so it’s not exactly much recent head to head action to go on.
Wade lost the one previous PDC World Championship meeting that they had which was back in 2014.
Stephen Bunting Preview – Bunting with a big task ahead
As the 28th seed at the tournament, Stephen Bunting also entered the action in the second round of play.
He was up against Andy Boulton in that one and had a bit of a scrap on his hands in the match as well.
It was a 3-2 success that Bunting secured. His finishing got him over the line as he was outscored heavily on the three-dart average in the match by his opponent.
Burning is a quote of 11/5 underdog to pull of the match win on Sunday* (odds recorded 0512 GMT Thursday, 24th December).
The former BDO World Championship really hasn’t gotten that great of a record since switching over to the PDC.
He had his best run in five years at least in the year’s event as he reached the fourth round.
It’s not been a particularly great season from Bunting. While he had to show a bit of grit against Boulton, we don’t see that carrying him through against Wade.
For some darts betting action, a Stephen Bunting +1.5 handicap is at 11/10 which at least backs the Englishman to stay in touch with Wade.
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Stephen Bunting has really not had much of an impression at all outside of the Players Championship events and then only sporadically has he put in a good run.
Before the start of the World Championships, he had lost three of his last four games (PDC Home Tour III).
This is a different kettle of fish, but he struggled there with his scoring and averages against some far less difficult opponents than Wade.
James Wade vs Stephen Bunting Betting Advice
It should be a win for “The Machine” as Wade is pretty reliable most of the time, especially in the early rounds on the biggest stage of all.
He looked sharp with his scoring and finishing in his second-round match. So we would go the Wade 4-1 correct score route at 10/3* (odds recorded 0512 GMT Thursday, 24th December).
It’s hard to see Bunting upping his game enough to get closer.
Key Facts – James Wade vs Stephen Bunting Betting Tip
- James Wade didn’t drop a set in his second round match
- James Wade is a former BDO World Champion
- Stephen Bunting has lost 1 of 8 previous matches against Wade
The head to head is interesting as Wade has won only one of the last seven matches against Burning in all temptations.
Most of the previous meetings have all been really tight affairs as well. But on current form this year, from what we’ve seen, we only see a comfortable win for Wade.
We would expect Wade to get in and out quickly so it is under 5.5 sets at evens* (odds recorded 0512 GMT Thursday, 24th December).
The best betting odds for James Wade vs Stephen Bunting
James Wade to win: 4/11 at Bet365
Stephen Bunting to win: 11/5 at Bet365
