Bet of the day: Van Gerwen 13/2 to beat Van Barneveld 4-3
Holly Thackeray and Sam Barnard | December 29, 2015
Coral’s bet of the day
- Michael van Gerwen holds a 32-15 head-to-head record against Barney
- Raymond van Barneveld has lost seven of his last nine versus MvG
- Mighty Mike won five of those close clashes by only one or two sets/legs
Van Gerwen a fantastic 13/2 price to defeat Van Barneveld 4-3
Dutch juggernauts Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld feature in perhaps the tastiest tie of the 2016 World Darts Championship so far, so it’s only right that Coral’s bet of the day presents equally cracking odds for this thrilling match-up.
Mighty Mike (odds-on at 10/11 to go all the way) is by far the favourite, but if there is one opponent capable of testing his tungsten prowess then it’s Barney, which is why backing this bet of 13/2 for a 4-3 scoreline looks brilliant.
Mighty Mike a continuing menace
The Green Machine was a sporting force against previous opponent Darren Webster in his previous outing, and has looked nothing short of unstoppable over autumn and winter.
World number one Van Gerwen also holds a rather emphatic head-to-head record against Van Barneveld. In a case of student overtaking master, MvG boasts 32 victories over the veteran, compared to Barney’s 15.
Barney always a battler
As for Van Barneveld, the bigger games now seem to bring the best out of the Hague-born cult hero and the last match between these two compatriots certainly brought fireworks, with MvG narrowly besting Barney in the World Series of Darts Finals quarter-final.
This match, should really go down to the wire then, as RvB is regularly one of the opponents able to test Mighty Mike the most, though, more often than not he eventually triumphs.
Power scorer Van Gerwen has won seven of his last nine against the more calculated Barney, including the past three frays in a row. In addition, Barney, who edged fellow big-gun Stephen Bunting 4-3 in his last match, has lost five of those recent rumbles with MvG by just one or two sets/legs.
Wit that in mind, odds of 13/2 for a 4-3 result in Van Gerwen’s favour, with both dangerous Dutchmen on form and well versed in each other’s tactics is great value.
Related
Take a look at our previous bets of the day.