Unibet PDC Home Tour – Group 12 Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
What is the Unibet PDC Home Tour? With the PDC Tour currently on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, the PDC have devised the tournament to supply some darting action to players and fans, with all matches are being streamed live from the homes of the players who are involved.
Who is taking part in the Unibet PDC Home Tour? All 128 PDC Tour Card holders were invited to take part, though there are some absences, the most notable being Michael van Gerwen due to the birth of his second child earlier this month, whilst Gary Anderson and Daryl Gurney are both missing due to internet connection problems.
What is the format of the Unibet PDC Home Tour? Each night, four players compete in a round-robin format with matches played over the best-of-nine legs, with the 32 group winners qualifying for the second stage of the event.
When is the Unibet PDC Home Tour Group 12 taking place? Tuesday 28th April, 2020 – 19:30 start (UK)
Where can I watch the Unibet PDC Home Tour? All PDC Home Tour action will be broadcast live on PDCTV for FREE to ALL registered PDCTV users, regardless of whether you have a paid or free membership.
THE PLAYERS
MAX HOPP
2020/21 SEASON SO FAR
Best Results in PDC Ranking Tournaments
Last 32 x1
Last 128 x5
Stats in PDC Players Championship tournaments
Average – 88.49
180s – 11 (0.17)
H2H
vs Keegan Brown
W3, L3
Last meeting: Keegan Brown 6-4 Max Hopp (May 2019 – Euro Tour)
vs Conan Whitehead
W1, L0
Last meeting: Max Hopp 6-2 Conan Whitehead (Apr 2019 – Players Championship)
vs Mike De Decker
W1, L3
Last meeting: Mike De Decker 5-3 Max Hopp (Nov 2017 – Grand Slam qualifier)
PROSPECTS
Max Hopp was forced to withdraw from the UK Open at the start of March due to a bout of Glandular Fever. His results and performances on the tour prior to that were not at the level we usually expect from the German star so I’m swerving away from picking him as the group winner.
KEEGAN BROWN
2020/21 SEASON SO FAR
Best Results in PDC Ranking Tournaments
Quarter-finals x1
Last 32 x3
Stats in PDC Players Championship tournaments
Average – 93.81
180s – 38 (0.21)
H2H
vs Max Hopp
W3, L3
Last meeting: Keegan Brown 6-4 Max Hopp (May 2019 – Euro Tour)
vs Conan Whitehead
W1, L1
Last meeting: Conan Whitehead 6-2 Keegan Brown (Feb 2020 – Players Championship)
vs Mike De Decker
N/A
PROSPECTS
Keegan Brown has been busy working for the NHS over the last few weeks so he won’t have been putting in as much practice as many other players. He was in decent form prior to the disruption of the tour and his chances of progression can’t be discounted.
CONAN WHITEHEAD
2020/21 SEASON SO FAR
Best Results in PDC Ranking Tournaments
Last 16 x1
Last 32 x1
Stats in PDC Players Championship tournaments
Average – 91.33
180s – 41 (0.26)
H2H
vs Max Hopp
W0, L1
Last meeting: Max Hopp 6-2 Conan Whitehead (Apr 2019 – Players Championship)
vs Keegan Brown
W1, L1
Last meeting: Conan Whitehead 6-2 Keegan Brown (Feb 2020 – Players Championship)
vs Mike De Decker
N/A
PROSPECTS
Conan Whitehead returned to the PDC tour in 2019. He has had some decent performances on the circuit but hasn’t produced the consistency needed to make a significant rise up the rankings.
MIKE DE DECKER
2020/21 SEASON SO FAR
Best Results in PDC Ranking Tournaments
Last 32 x2
Last 64 x4
Stats in PDC Players Championship tournaments
Average – 93.71
180s – 48 (0.34)
H2H
vs Max Hopp
W3, L1
Last meeting: Mike De Decker 5-3 Max Hopp (Nov 2017 – Grand Slam qualifier)
vs Keegan Brown
N/A
vs Conan Whitehead
N/A
PROSPECTS
Belgium’s Mike De Decker won his tour card back at Q School in January and produced some good displays on the circuit in the early part of the year without always getting a winning result. I think he is capable of contesting the battle for top spot in this section.
THREE PICKS FROM 3 DART ANALYST
Mike De Decker +1.5 handicap vs Max Hopp
Mike De Decker was performing better than Hopp prior to the disruption of the tour and, with the German number one also missing some events due to illness, he might be a little bit rustier than his Belgian opponent.
Mike De Decker to score the most 180s vs Conan Whitehead
De Decker’s 180 hitting ratio on the tour in 2020 is superior to all of the other players in this group and he looks to be a good option to hit the most in this fixture.
Keegan Brown to beat Max Hopp
Hopp is the favourite with the bookies to win this match but Brown looks to be of value. There is nothing between them on their head-to-head record and Brown won their last encounter.
