World Darts Championship day three match predictions

PDC darts tips, best bets and player analysis for day three of the 2023 Cazoo World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, London.

Where to watch

Sky Sports Arena, midday & 7pm Saturday

Best bets

Alan Soutar to beat Daryl Gurney
2pts 11-10 Coral

Adam Gawlas to beat Richie Burnett
1pt 6-5 Coral

Jose Justicia +2.5 sets v Josh Rock
1pt 23-20 Coral

World Darts Championship day three preview

Alan Soutar overcame big-stage nerves on his return to Alexandra Palace to deliver a first-round whitewash and set up a World Darts Championship showdown with Daryl Gurney.

Soutar was a long way from his confident best against Australian qualifier Mal Cuming but still dropped just two legs in a comprehensive 3-0 win.

The 88 average was nothing to write home about but the Scot will improve and definitely has the tools to take down 24th seed Gurney.

It's been a good 12 months for Soutar, who reached the fourth round at the Palace last year, reached four quarter-finals or better on the floor and just last month made the last eight of the Grand Slam.

Gurney, a Premier League player just two years ago, has dropped off the radar in recent months.

The Northern Irishman and crowd favourite will show glimpses but is acutely aware that he needs far more consistency if he is to stifle Soutar.

There is so little between Richie Burnett and Adam Gawlas on the stats in 2022 that there's a massive temptation to go with the Czech outsider in their first-round shootout at the PDC World Darts Championship.

Burnett and Gawlas have played the same number of Players Championship matches with an almost identical legs-won percentage. Even their 180 numbers can't be split.

Yet the bookies prefer the Prince of Wales, who is a long way from the player who conquered the world (the BDO's world, that is) way back in 1995.

These two have met once on tour this year and Burnett won, but Gawlas, only 20 years old, is improving all the time and getting plenty of TV exposure.

He delighted his home crowd by beating Damon Heta and Ryan Searle to reach the Czech Open quarter-finals in May. And he beat some more good players to qualify for the Grand Slam, where he couldn't win but signed off with a 97-plus average in defeat to Dirk van Duijvenbode and looked confident on the stage.

Burnett turns 56 in February and hasn't been at the Palace for nine years. He's probably surprised a few just to qualify.

Josh Rock looks the real deal and a future world champion but don't expect doughty Spaniard Jose Justicia to give him an easy ride in round one.

The Irish youngster is far too short a price, especially given this is his debut, and while he should win, the very capable Justicia can definitely make him work for it. The odds-against that Justicia wins at least one set is far more tempting than the 1-11 that Rock wins all three.

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