BoyleSports World Grand Prix predictions and winner odds: Side with Noppert

Free darts tips, best bets and player analysis for the BoyleSports World Grand Prix at the Morningside Arena in Leicester.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Arena, from 7pm Monday

Best bets

Danny Noppert to win World Grand Prix
1pt 20-1 bet365, Betfred, BoyleSports

Tournament preview

The PDC's globetrotters have decamped to Leicester for the BoyleSports World Grand Prix where punters will once again expect plenty of upsets between now and next Sunday's final.

After a summer spent travelling the world, Michael van Gerwen and pals are setting up shop at the Morningside Arena in the East Midlands, the first stop in a wonderful autumn of darts which climaxes with the World Championship.

This is the one darts fans love, the one major where players need to double in as well as double out, and that adds up to thrills, spills and shocks.

The pros have a lot less love for it – especially round one, over a brutally brief best-of-three sets – although it didn't stop The Power winning the title 11 times. Then again, he also exited in round one five times. That's the beauty of the Grand Prix.

Jonny Clayton is the reigning and defending champion, compatriot Gerwyn Price the favourite, but there are plenty of other names to consider, plenty of players in form, among them 20-1 shot Danny Noppert.

Noppert, lest we forget, is a major winner. Better than that, he's a major winner in 2022.

Much water has passed under the bridge since early March when Noppert enjoyed the weekend of his life, beating Dirk van Duijvenbode, Damon Heta and Michael Smith to be crowned UK Open champion.

And the affable 31-year-old hasn't slackened since then. He has posted a Pro Tour win, reached the semi-finals of the World Matchplay and enjoyed a thrilling run to the last four of the Belgian Open last weekend, confirming his numbers are good.

He boasts form on the Morningside Arena stage too having reached the last four 12 months ago thanks to wins over Michael van Gerwen, Vincent van der Voort and Ian White.

Van Gerwen has to be respected as a five-time winner but his doubling at the moment looks so errant, so inconsistent, that if there's one event you'd struggle to fancy him for, it's this one.

That said, if he can overcome Gary Anderson in his opener, he'd have either Stephen Bunting or Brendan Dolan in round two, and it wouldn't take much for Mighty Mike to flick a switch and find some form. At the moment, though, he seems tough to trust.

The same can't be said of Gerwyn Price, winner of this event in 2020 and adamant – after winning the World Series earlier this month – that he'll be in a league of his own within three years. It's not the first time Gezzy has led with his mouth but he does look on a higher level than pretty much anyone.

But if this event has told us anything, it's that anyone can have their day. Over the last decade or so Dolan, Simon Whitlock, Robert Thornton, 250-1 shot Dirk van Duijvenbode and others have defied the odds to make the final - and win it in the Thorn's case, at odds of 66-1.

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