Ladbrokes Masters predictions and winner odds: Ratajski could spring a surprise

Free darts tips, best bets and analysis for the PDC Ladbrokes Masters event in Milton Keynes.

Where to watch

ITV4, 7.10pm Friday

Best bets

K Ratajski
1pt each-way 40-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

M King to win second quarter
1pt 6-1 bet365

Preview

New season, new ambitions - and brand new darts in the case of Michael van Gerwen, who begins his quest to regain world number one status at the Ladbrokes Masters armed with different tungsten.

Mighty Mike is confident a change in equipment will yield an upturn in his fortunes, although punters will rightly be questioning whether the Dutchman's dramatic change of heart will pay off.

Cast your mind back 12 months when the Green Machine did exactly the same thing, switching to Winmau. Within several disappointing weeks he was back with the arrers that had served him so well over the course of his career.

You can see why Van Gerwen again felt something needed to change after a poor 2020 in which he flopped in several majors before being unceremoniously whitewashed by Dave Chisnall in the William Hill World Championship.

"I've got so many good memories with my old darts but I can feel now they're starting to be worn out a bit," the five-time Masters champion explained.

But punters, even staring at outright odds of 5-2, must have concerns and he looks best left alone.

Gerwyn Price, who has dislodged Van Gerwen from the top of the world rankings following his triumph at Alexandra Palace a month ago, looks a likelier winner in the season-opener, which features the world's top 24 players.

The Welshman will be rested and focused and he was head and shoulders above the rest last year – but there's not a lot of value in his price.

If we learned anything from last year it's that empty arenas produced plenty of surprise results and every player toeing the oche over the first two days could argue a claim. Two of the most interesting contenders are Krzysztof Ratajski and Mervyn King.

King has a great chance to at least win the second quarter, where the two seeds are Rob Cross and Nathan Aspinall. This section is absolutely ripe for an upset as former world champion Voltage in the midst of a lengthy struggle while Aspinall is also battling self-doubt after a tough second half of 2020. He has also changed his hardware in a bid to revive his fortunes.

The door is wide open, therefore, for one of four first-round combatants to go in and King has strong claims.

A model of consistency over the course of a great career, the veteran Fenlander showed there's plenty of life in the old dog with his run to the final of the Ladbrokes Players Championship Finals in November and a month later he reached round four of the worlds, where he was one of five players to produce a ton-plus tournament average.

Ratajski went one better, reaching the quarter-finals at Ally Pally, the first Pole to ever get that far.

The Polish Eagle is the consummate floor player and these big events without crowds are nothing more than glorified floor events.

His stop-start 2020 was better than most with three Pro Tour finals including one win to cement his place in the world's top 16. His route to glory is littered with potential pitfalls because it's a high-class event, but he's certainly a nice price.

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