We are at the quarter final stage of the World Darts Championship on New Years Day and it looks set to be an absolute cracker. Both Michael van Gerwen and Phil Taylor crashed out of the tournament in the last 16 which leaves Gary Anderson as the new favourite to successfully defend his crown.

There are two sessions on New Years Day before the semi-finals on Saturday, and the final on Sunday. Each quarter final contest seems evenly matched on paper which can only mean a mouthwatering day of world class darts.

All odds by Betfair

Schedule (from 1pm and 7.30pm):

Alan Norris 9/4 vs Jelle Klaasen 4/11 Gary Anderson 2/5 vs James Wade 2/1

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Raymond van Barneveld 3/4 vs Michael Smith 11/10 Peter Wright 11/10 vs Adrian Lewis 3/4

Gary Anderson vs James Wade

If Gary Anderson turns up in a similar mood to his last 16 thumping against Vincent van der Voort, then James Wade will play little part in the contest. The manner in which the Scotsman scored and finished on Monday evening was that of a supremely confident individual.

I believe he’ll beat James Wade but it won’t be as straight forward. Wade is renowned for his excellent checkout ability and has also improved upon his scoring power over the last fortnight. Eric Bristow, Wade’s new mentor, has claimed that ‘The Machine’ has increased his practise significantly over the last 12 months which is aiding his performance on stage.

Do not be surprised to see this go to a last set shoot-out as both players have been embroiled in a number of close encounters with one another over the last 18 months.

Raymond van Barneveld vs Michael Smith

Raymond van Barneveld produced one his best darting performances for several years against Michael van Gerwen on Monday when beating the world number one 4-3 to extend his love for the ‘Ally Pally’ stage. The famous Dutchman hit seven 180s and averaged 100.44 to see off the determined challenge by MvG.

He must now face Michael Smith in the quarter finals on Friday evening and although he performed very well against van Gerwen, I’m not convinced he can repeat such a performance again here.

Michael Smith has been one of the best scorers throughout this year’s World Darts Championship and should prove better than ‘Barney’ if he sharpens up on his doubles. He is without doubt a world champion of the future and should perform accordingly on Friday evening.

Recommendations:

Anderson vs Wade OVER 7.5 SETS – Evens (William Hill)

Michael Smith WIN – 11/10 (Coral)