With Michael van Gerwen inserted as the 1/1 favourite to win the 2016 World Darts Championship, it leaves the odds of the rest of the field looking rather juicy.
Phil Taylor and Gary Anderson are the Dutchman’s two closest challengers in the betting but, as you scan a little lower in the list of contenders, there are a number of names that look like valuable dark horses for the Christmas tournament.
Chizzy is a high-scoring, streaky performer. This year, having been knocked out at the round robin stage a year earlier, he reached the final of the Premier League. During his BDO days he followed up a first-round exit in the World Championship with the silver medal. In short, you can never expect anything from Chizzy.
That being said, the 35-year-old’s game has developed immensely during 2015 and he should be good for a deeper run than the second-round trip he made at Alexandra Palace last time out.
If Chisnall is a player of see-sawing results, Thornton is the antithesis.
The Scot is a two-time PDC major winner, adding the World Grand Prix this year to his 2012 UK Open win.
Encouragingly, those victories came against Michael van Gerwen and Phil Taylor respectively, showing that Thornton can hold his own with the best on his day. So seeing the Power in his quarter of the 2016 World Championship draw shouldn’t be too off putting.
Like Thornton, Klaasen also shares the same section of the draw as Taylor and could meet the Power as early as the third round.
Although he’d be the underdog for that clash, Klaasen is more than capable of worrying the Stoke-on-Trent phenomenon, as he did Gary Anderson in the second round of the 2015 edition.
A consistent performer on Tour this season, Klaasen has reached five tournament finals during the year and has the form to seriously outplay his price.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
