PDC World Championship 2020 First Round match preview: Matthew Edgar vs Darius Labanauskas

Starting off Day Two of the 2020 PDC World Championship are Matthew Edgar and Darius Labanauskas.

Read below for the fourth of 32 match previews for the World Championship first round ties.

Facts and figures

Match time/date: 12:30, December 14

Head-to-head record: Edgar 0-1 Labanauskas

Previous meeting: Edgar 1-3 Labanauskas, World Championship (December 2018)

Best major performance this season: Last 64, Players Championship Finals (Edgar); Last 32, Players Championship Finals (Labanauskas)

Previous PDC World Championship appearances: Edgar 1, Labanauskas 1

Best PDC World Championship performance: First Round (Edgar); Third Round (Labanauskas)

Preview

Is anyone else getting a sense of deja vu? In 2018, Matthew Edgar and Darius Labanaukas were paired at the World Championship. Edgar took the first set 3-1, but won just two more legs as the Lithuanian turned the game on its head to succeed 3-1 in sets. If that wasn't enough, Labanauskas went on to beat Raymond van Barneveld, and won on day four at European Q-School a month later.

It's been a successful season for Lucky D to date. Along with four PDC Nordic & Baltic titles, Labanaukas battled through to the Players Championship 15 final. While he was outclassed by Glen Durrant, it was a fine return, and one step further than a Players Championship 14 semi-final reached during a mid-season purple patch. Winning a couple of matches at the Alexandra Palace would leave his prospects looking rosy as his Tour Card reaches its half-life.

It's a totally different story for Matthew Edgar. While off the oche, he's kept fans entertained with Edgar TV hi-jinx and a bizarre Twitter spat (or pretend spat, it's a bit unclear) with Glen Durrant, he has spent most of 2019 with his head below the water line. Qualifying for the World Championship at the last chance saloon of the PDPA Qualifier gives him the opportunity to save his Tour Card. There's a lot riding on this for Primetime.

Ninth seed Ian White lies in wait for the winner of this clash.

Prediction

We're backing the Lithuanian to repeat last year's feat, and saying Edgar 0-3 Labanauskas.

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