Preview German Darts Championship Saturday afternoon including Wright, Cross and De Decker-Nijman

This weekend the fourteenth and also last Euro Tour tournament of this year is scheduled. The German Darts Championship in Halle 39 in Hildesheim is the ultimate opportunity for several players who are still in the hunt for qualification for the European Championship. The top 32 of the European Championship Order of Merit qualify for this prestigious major.

The field of participants in this Euro Tour tournament traditionally consists of 48 players, with a total prize money pool of £175,000. The winner can credit £30,000 to his account. Peter Wright starts the tournament as the defending champion, having defeated Luke Littler 8-5 in last year's final.

Saturday afternoon the first eight matches of the second round are scheduled. Below is a preview of these eight matches.

Gian van Veen is going through an impressive year. He won his first PDC title at a Players Championship and is establishing himself as an emerging talent. He has solid scoring, and his finishes are regularly praised as one of his strengths. Van Veen has climbed to fifteenth place in the world rankings and it seems only a matter of time before he will storm the top-10. Earlier this year he already reached the final of the German Darts Grand Prix, who knows, maybe he can do even better this weekend.

On the other side is Niels Zonneveld, a player who rather silently measured an excellent year. Zonneveld performs on a very consistent basis and already hit far in floor tournaments several times. Van Veen will therefore certainly not underestimate his compatriot.

Expectation: Van Veen will start as the favorite, with a little more security on the doubles and a higher scoring ability, but Zonneveld can make it difficult for him by keeping pressure in the legs. A narrow victory for Van Veen seems most logical.

Damon Heta has had a disappointing World Grand Prix, where he once again went out quickly. Performing at the majors remains difficult for the 38-year-old Australian. How different is it on the Pro Tour, where he often performs excellently. Heta will therefore be extra keen to rectify his slip at the World Grand Prix this weekend. He can achieve high averages and is sharp on finishes.

Steve Lennon is also an experienced player, yet he should not normally be a problem for Heta. A big win for Heta in this match would not really be a surprise.

Danny Noppert reached the semifinals at the World Grand Prix just last week and therefore comes to Hildesheim brimming with confidence. His experience in more important tournaments can be decisive in these kind of matches. With Luke Woodhouse he will meet a player who is working on a strong year. Woody has already proven that he can win the top events, but it is often difficult for him to follow up his victory with another one.

The key will lie in how Noppert exploits his strong moments and whether Woodhouse manages to keep him from running away. If Noppert picks up steam smoothly, he is expected to be the favorite, but Woodhouse can certainly pose a danger in this short format.

Ryan Searle recently won another Players Championship and thus comes to the start with confidence this weekend. Although 'Heavy Metal' is sometimes a bit inconsistent. Scoring is often very good, but on his doubles he sometimes dares to miss. Krzysztof Ratajski on the other hand is a very experienced player with a solid record, who rarely drops below the lower limit. Against Ratajski you always have to play at a good level to win.

An exciting match therefore announces itself, with Ratajski lurking to punish any mistake by Searle.

Mike De Decker started last week's World Grand Prix as the defending champion, but stranded in the second round against Luke Littler. De Decker himself underperformed in that match and will want to forget that match quickly, so why not with a good performance this weekend?

With Wessel Nijman he does meet a player who is in excellent form these last few months. Nijman already won a Players Championship this year and is often a regular name in the final stages of floor tournaments and also on the European Tour. Both players have a high scoring ability, so who hits the doubles best will be decisive here.

Rob Cross is a name with weight in darts: former world champion, top-level experience, and familiar with the pressures of big tournaments. Cross, however, is blowing hot and cold this year, and the last few months have been especially rather cold. With several more important majors coming up this year, he will want to take advantage of this tournament to recapture the good feeling.

Cameron Menzies, on the other hand, lies in wait to surprise Cross. The Scot is a bit lower in the world rankings, but is having an excellent year. In this duel, Cross will want to take the initiative: dominate the legs, be aggressive on the doubles, and try not to give Menzies any space. If that succeeds, Cross is the favorite, but Menzies will certainly believe in his chances.

Peter Wright is always a dangerous opponent, with his experience, flair and moments of brilliant play. Only it's about time the Scot showed his best form again. After all, that was pretty much always lacking this year. Early eliminations in various tournaments were no exception for 'Snakebite'. The past World Grand Prix also turned out to be a disappointment.

Wright starts this tournament as the defending champion and meets home favorite Ricardo Pietreczko in his opening match. 'Pikachu' has proven many times before that he is not afraid to take on the top players and has also won a Euro Tour in the past. The German is lower than Wright in the world rankings, but given his current form is the favorite to win this match.

Dave Chisnall is having an extremely lousy year. Chizzy - last year good for two titles on the European Tour - is still dry this year and is slipping further and further down the world rankings. He needs to recover urgently, starting in his opening match against Gabriel Clemens.

The German is also underperforming this year and has slipped to 40th in the world rankings. It is therefore difficult to appoint a favorite in this match. Based on his higher position in the world rankings, Chisnall eventually gets the benefit of the doubt.