PDC World Darts Championship semi-final predictions, betting odds and tips

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Where to watch the PDC World Darts Championship semi-finals

You can watch the action from 7pm on Thursday, January 2, live on Sky Sports Darts & Sky Sports Main Event

PDC World Darts Championship semi-finals best bets

Luke Littler to win 6-1 v Stephen Bunting
1pt 4-1 general

Over 9.5 sets in Chris Dobey vs Michael van Gerwen
1pt 11-8 Coral, Ladbrokes

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PDC World Darts Championship semi-final predictions

Chris Dobey vs Michael van Gerwen predictions

Head-to-head: Van Gerwen leads 18-6

Michael van Gerwen has emerged from one of the leanest years of his glittering career to move within two games of being crowned world darts champion for a fourth time.

Van Gerwen, who was not quite out of the title-winning conversation a fortnight ago but was hardly a warm order, has blossomed like a true champ and pretty much peaked in his 5-3 win over Callan Rydz in his quarter-final on Wednesday.

Fending off an absolute barrage of big scores and big finishes from the Riot, Van Gerwen produced a 103 average, hit almost 45 per cent of his doubles and critically showed that old-school steel in the tough situations.

Now, over a best-of-11 format that will be a new challenge for first-time semi-finalist Dobey, that experience and knowhow could well be the decisive factors which earn Mighty Mike a spot in Friday night's final.

Dobey should not be blown away, though, and there's a case for taking the match to last for at least ten sets.

Dobey withstood a fast start from Gerwyn Price in his quarter-final, going 2-0 down before beating the Welshman 5-3. A round earlier he had been 3-2 down to Kevin Doets and won 4-3, while he had trailed Josh Rock 1-0 and 2-1 but came through to win. There is no doubt that the Geordie has plenty of bottle.

Van Gerwen dominates the head-to-head record 18-6, but over their last 13 meetings the Dutchman only shades it 7-6. Dobey hadn't beaten Price since 2019 but that imbalance counted for nothing as the Iceman is not quite the force he was.

The same was said about Van Gerwen when he flopped in the round-robin stage of the Grand Slam and fell at the first at the Players Championship Finals, but form is temporary and class is permanent. Van Gerwen should prove that – although Dobey can push him all the way.

Verdict by Steve Davies

Stephen Bunting vs Luke Littler predictions

Head-to-head: Tied at 1-1

Stephen Bunting has been employing a sports psychologist to help him better handle pressure situations, but the Liverpool man remains prone to being overwhelmed by nerves, and a World Championship semi-final against Luke Littler is an extreme test of mettle.

Bunting has been fortunate to run into weak opposition on his way to the last four at Alexandra Palace. He comfortably outclassed Kai Gotthardt, Madars Razma and Luke Woodhouse in his first three matches, then Peter Wright offered precious little resistance in their quarter-final. Wright had clearly invested everything he had in defeating world number one Luke Humphries in the previous round, then arrived at the oche against Bunting as an entirely different proposition.

Bunting has been playing well, but has not come up against a formidable opponent. Littler is the ultimate foe. The teen terror, World Championship runner-up on his debut 12 months ago, has the potential to dominate the sport. Littler felt the weight of expectation heavily in his opening match, struggling to get going against Ryan Meikle, but The Nuke produced the greatest set of darts in history to see off Meikle and has not looked back since.

The longer matches have relaxed Littler – he has more time to assert his superiority – and the semi-finals are over best of 11 sets. He beat Rob Cross 6-2 at this stage last year, averaging 106.05. Littler has averaged more than a ton in three of his four matches in this competition and should bolster than statistic against Bunting.

When put under pressure – none more so than by Ryan Joyce in round four – Littler has responded with brilliance. Like the all-time greats from previous generations, higher stakes just seem to result in more focus and better performance. If Bunting brings his best to the oche, which seems unlikely given he has never played a PDC semi-final in front of spectators, Littler should have all the answers.

Bunting lost 6-4 to Gerwyn Price in the 2021 semi-finals, which were played in a silent arena during Covid times. Bunting is a good player, but not a great player, and the 39-year-old is about to face a 17-year-old who may become the best of them all. There has been no hype about Littler – all the acclaim is fully deserved. Expect the Prince of the Palace to emphatically book a final spot, perhaps by a 6-1 margin.

Verdict by Steve Palmer

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Published on 1 January 2025inPDC World Darts Championships