Ladbrokes Players Championship finals: predictions, where to watch and free tips

Free darts tips, best bets and analysis for the Ladbrokes Players Championship finals.

Where to watch

ITV4, from 1pm Friday

Best bets

K Ratajski
1pt each-way 22-1 Betfair, Paddy Power
D van Duijvenbode to win fourth quarter
1pt 12-1Hills

Tournament preview

Punters left deflated when another big-priced outsider got up at the Grand Slam this week may well decide the favourites should be overlooked as the world of darts resaddles for the Players Championship Finals in Coventry.

Jose de Sousa was the 25-1 winner of the Slam on Tuesday following a stack of post-lockdown outsiders, including 28-1 poke Glen Durrant at the Premier League and Dimitri van den Bergh, the 200-1 chance who prevailed at the Matchplay.

And if we know anything about the Players Championship Finals it's that it throws up unlikely finalists – this will be the 13th running of a competition which has produced eight finalists at 25-1 or bigger.

Of all three market leaders Gerwyn Price seems to have the best claims but at 9-2 he's hardly an exciting price, and the playing field is definitely levelling, especially at an empty Ricoh Arena where players who struggle in front of big crowds can treat it like a run-of-the-mill tour event.

That plays to the strengths of several arrowsmiths, among them Krzysztof Ratajski, who has reached three floor finals in 2020, winning once.

The Pole has vaulted into the top 16 in the world courtesy of a string of floor wins over the past 18 months, including the Gibraltar Trophy. This year he has also reached the quarter-finals of the Matchplay and the International Open and given the potential for a nightmare draw – the seedings are based on achievements in Players Championship events rather than world rankings – he seems to have done okay.

Ratajski is a 22-1 shot while the 12-1 that Dirk van Duijvenbode wins the fourth quarter also appeals. Michael van Gerwen sits in that section but has been misfiring this year and would be hard to trust right now.

Van Duijvenbode is full of self-belief after reaching the Grand Prix final, yet another massive upset which shows nothing should be ruled out.

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