Thursday 17 December 2015 10:59, UK
Wayne Mardle has selected his tips for the World Darts Championship - but Gary Anderson is nowhere to be seen!
Our Sky Sports expert can barely contain his excitement for the Ally Pally festivities which are live between December 17 and January 3 - and Mardle thinks he knows what is going to happen...
Read on for Wayne's predictions - but do you agree?
Wayne says: "There's one that just stands out for me because his draw is decent - that's Simon Whitlock. People have forgotten how good he is because he's been going through a slump over the past two years, but he still hasn't drifted out of the top 16. He played well at the Players Championship, and I think he's playing better now than he has done for years.
"As a human being you don't play to your best every single day and some people are mentally stronger than others. When I had a bad game it didn't sap my confidence but others only throw one bad dart and it drains them.
"Whitlock has never been disgustingly bad but he lost some games that we expected him to win. He'll be a threat over the never year."
Wayne says: "I think Peter Wright has a tough first game in Keegan Brown, who is more than capable of beating him. Brown has beaten Adrian Lewis, Robert Thornton and John Part on big stages. It's a tough game for Wright - but it's even tougher for Brown.
"Thornton has his work cut out against Alan Norris. Dave Chisnall has got Rowby-John Rodriguez which is another dodgy one. There will be a few close-run games this year in the first round. But Wright is the one for me - he could be taken out of the draw."
Wayne says: "The semi-finals will be Michael van Gerwen v Adrian Lewis or Peter Wright, and James Wade will play Phil Taylor.
"Wade has been playing great, I regularly back him. I like the way he plays for one main reason - he doesn't have to be on top form to win, which a lot of the other players do. Lewis and Taylor, for example, along with Gary Anderson need to be at their best to win. But there's three players who do not need their top form to win - Wright, Wade and Van Gerwen. Those three can win with their B-game.
The semi-finals will be Michael van Gerwen v Adrian Lewis or Peter Wright, and James Wade will play Phil Taylor.
"Wade ticks all the boxes, and he's so composed under pressure. He's underrated for one simple reason. If he'd have won one World Championship and nothing else, we'd mention him as a possible champion. We mention Lewis because he's won a world title but he's won nowhere near as much as Wade. Anderson hasn't won as much as Wade, but he's won the right one. Wade is overlooked because he hasn't won the World Championship and that's unfair."
Wayne says: "It's got to be Van Gerwen. He misses too many chances in every tournament and he can't keep missing! He got a nine-darter at the Worlds in 2013 and missed the double to hit two back-to-back. He's the likeliest candidate because he's the best player in the world, he'll get to the semi-finals and he keeps giving himself chances to hit a nine-darter.
"He missed one in the Premier League, he's missed a load on tour, and he missed one at the Grand Slam. He can't keep missing! It's only a double 12, for goodness sake!"
Wayne says: "The likeliest outcome is Van Gerwen, that's what will probably happen. But he hasn't won a set-format tournament in over two years, and that was the World Darts Championship.
"I don't think a set format suits him. He could easily go and win this - but I think Van Gerwen is a better legs player than a sets player.
"I'll back Wright (should he get through his testing first round tie with Brown), Wade and Taylor. We could be discussing Taylor as the reigning world champion had he hit a few more doubles in last year's final.
"Wright has been getting closer and closer. When he lost 11-10 to Van Gerwen in the World Series final, that was a landmark moment. He'd never got so close to him before."
You can watch the PDC World Darts Championship live on Sky Sports between December 17-January 3.
Non-subscribers can also enjoy daily, weekly or monthly access to Sky Sports Darts and Sky Sports other six channels contract-free with NOW TV.
