Betfred World Matchplay predictions and darts betting tips: Rocky and Ferret can flourish in top half

Betfred are offering £50 in free bets when new customers stake £10 on the Betfred World Matchplay darts.

You can grab that offer here. We’ve included further instructions on how to grab your offer later on in this article.

Where to watch the Betfred World Matchplay

Sky Sports Arena, 7.30pm Saturday

Best bets

Josh Rock to win World Matchplay
1.5pts each-way 33-1 general

Jonny Clayton to win World Matchplay
1pt each-way 40-1 bet365, BoyleSports

Daryl Gurney to beat Gerwyn Price
1pt 9-4 Coral, Ladbrokes

You can bet on the 2024 World Matchplay and get £50 in Betfred free bets

Betfred World Matchplay predictions

England have had a fortunate path to the Euro 2024 final, but luck of the draw has certainly not gone the way of Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen at the World Matchplay, where they will face each other in round one.

Littler, who is making his debut at the Winter Gardens in Blackpool, may need time to settle on this iconic stage. The famous Empress Ballroom gets notoriously hot at this time of the year – a sweaty mass of arrers enthusiasts create a unique atmosphere – and the experienced Van Gerwen is a formidable opening opponent for the teen terror.

Littler seems poor value given he must tackle a three-time Matchplay champion in his first match. Whoever comes through that contest can be expected to make the semi-finals, but neither can be backed with confidence.

Another heavyweight first-round clash between two potential title winners is Michael Smith against Gary Anderson, who are in the same half of the draw as Littler and Van Gerwen. The best outright punting tactic may be to ignore that half and concentrate on what appears a more straightforward top half.

Luke Humphries at 3-1 is more appealing than Littler at 4-1. Humphries should see off debutant Ricardo Pietreczko with the minimum of fuss in round one. The German will not have the crowd on his side as he did at Alexandra Palace in an epic World Championship encounter with Humphries in December.

Better value than Humphries in that quarter, though, is the man who beat him at the semi-final stage of last year's Matchplay – Jonny Clayton. The 49-year-old won a Players Championship event in Milton Keynes at the start of this month, averaging 106.05 in the final.

Clayton understandably took time to get over the passing of his father, who had been such a support to him throughout his career, but a year on from the loss The Ferret is looking dangerous again. The former Premier League champion can see off Raymond van Barneveld on the opening night in Blackpool and is a 40-1 chance who can go deep.

Even better outright value is arguably Josh Rock at 33-1. Rock, impressive lately in the World Cup and the Players Championships, is a 23-year-old bursting with potential. He is housed in a quarter featuring Gerwyn Price, who has been struggling with health issues, and Rocky seems well capable of advancing to the semi-finals.

Three of the four favourites should triumph on night one – Humphries, Clayton and Nathan Aspinall. Defending champion Aspinall is a surprisingly big price against debutant Luke Woodhouse.

Price seems the most vulnerable favourite. Daryl Gurney has been getting his game back in order this year and could easily send the Welshman packing.

Grab £50 in Betfred free bets when you bet on the Betfred World Matchplay

We’ve already mentioned that Betfred are offering £50 in free bets when you bet £10 on on the Betfred World Matchplay.

Here is how you can claim this £50 Betfred free bets offer when you place a qualifying bet on darts.

• Head over to Betfred through this link to sign up using promo code SUMMER50.
• Click the sign-up button and follow the process to fill in your details.
• Place a min £10 bet on Sportsbook on odds of min of EVS (2.0) with seven days of registering.
• Get 3 x £10 in Sports Free Bets & 2 x £10 in Acca Free Bets within 10 hours of settlement.

Betfred betting sign-up offer: terms and conditions

It's worth taking a few minutes to read through the terms and conditions associated with the new player promotion before signing up. Doing so will help you get a better grasp of the details of this Betfred betting offer and what's expected of you as a new player. This promotion gives you £50 in free sports bets. T&Cs apply, including the following:

• Offer available to new customers residing in the UK, Ireland and Gibraltar who are at least 18 years old and who register for an account with us between 00:00 on Friday 31st May and 23:59 on Sunday 14th July 2024.
• Customers must be successfully verified by Betfred before any Free Bets are awarded. Please see Betfred's Verification Policy for more details.
• Deposit at least £10 using a Debit Card registered to you. No other payment method will qualify.
• Place a bet of £10 or more on any qualifying Sportsbook markets at odds of Evens or greater (2.0+), which is going to be settled within 7 days of registering for your account. 
• Two or more separate bets with a combined stake of £10 will not qualify. 
• Only your very first valid bet will count.
• If your bet is voided or cancelled by us: it will not count and the next valid bet you place will be considered instead.
• If your account is set to euros you will need to deposit and bet €10 to qualify.
• Your £50 in Free Bets will be credited within 10 hours of your qualifying bet being settled, and can be used as followed: 3 x £10 to use on any Sportsbook Markets/2 x £10 to use on Accumulators (4+ selections).  
• Free Bets cannot be withdrawn as cash and will not form part of any winnings returned.
• Any unused Free Bets will expire 7 days after issue.
• One welcome offer per address/IP address/device or mobile number. Previous account holders are not eligible for the offer. Anyone opening a Betfred.com account that has previously held an account with us that is closed does not qualify for the offer.,
• In the event of a dispute, the decision of the Betfred Management Team will be final and based on our Terms and Conditions.18+
• 18+. For more info visit Gambleaware.org.

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