Preview Saturday evening German Darts Championship: Price, Aspinall, Wade, Bunting and Rock all in action

Saturday night the final eight games from the second round at the German Darts Championship will be played. As the last Euro Tour tournament before the European Darts Championship, this is the last chance for players to qualify, and this evening could be a decision for certain players.

In total, the field of participants consists of 48 players. The prize pool is a whopping £175,000, of which the winner alone will pocket £30,000. Peter Wright managed to win the tournament last year by beating Luke Littler 8-5 in the final.

Below we give a preview of all matches to be played this evening session. It promises to be a great night at Halle 39 in Hildesheim.
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The evening kicks off with Ross Smith as he will battle his compatriot Nathan Aspinall. Aspinall impressed last night against rookie Maximilian Czerwinski, throwing an average of almost 104. He is also well ahead on the European Tour Order of Merit, indicating how good his performance has been this year. Ross Smith is tenth on that same ranking, showing he too has had an excellent year at the Euro Tour tournaments. On paper, both men will most likely be evenly matched.

Next it is the turn of Raymond van Barneveld, who gets to take on Welshman Jonny Clayton. The stakes may be high for the Dutchman tonight, but that will all depend on the men below him who have already been in action earlier this afternoon. Should such names as Cross, Ratajski, Wright and Chisnall lose, participation in the European Championship is already certain. Should all those names win, Van Barneveld will need a victory to qualify definitively. Although there is little chance that he still falls outside the top-32, it is always nice to be in control. With Clayton, he does face a difficult opponent. The Ferret' recently reached the semi-finals of the World Grand Prix and is in good shape.

Former world champion Gerwyn Price faces off with Christian Kist. Kist surprised last night by knocking out Daryl Gurney with relative ease. Lipstick' was 2-0 down, but then won 6 legs in a row to qualify for the next round. Price, however, is an opponent of a different stature. With Van Gerwen, Littler and Humphries absent, 'The Iceman' is on paper the favorite for the title. But who knows, maybe Kist can pull a rabbit out of the top hat like yesterday.

James Wade faces Jermaine Wattimena in the second round. Wattimena is actually in the same boat as Van Barneveld. Depending on previous results on the day, he might need at least one more win tonight to really play himself safe for the European Darts Championship. Should he already be seeded due to previous results, he can play freely. Wade is in top form this year and is always a dangerous opponent. The pace of 'The Machine' does not play in the Dutchman's favor either.

Chris Dobey takes on Dirk van Duijvenbode who may also have something to play for. Van Duijvenbode managed to treat the hall in Hildesheim yesterday to a spectacular nine darter, which made the audience, including himself, go completely crazy. Aside from that nine darter, things seemed a bit difficult at times, but he still finished with an average of over 101 and won the match 6-4. The same goes for Dobey as for Van Barneveld and Wattimena, with one win he plays himself safe for the European Championship anyway. All results from earlier this afternoon not included.

Next up is Martin Schindler and William O'Connor. Someone who certainly still has something to play for is O'Connor, although it will be difficult. Mathematically, the Irishman still has a chance at the European Darts Championship, but he will have to reach at least the semifinals or even final this weekend, depending on previous results this afternoon. But never say never. With Schindler, however, he meets perhaps one of the most difficult opponents after Price. The German always performs well in his own country and will be eager to win the title in front of his own crowd due to the absence of some big names.

The penultimate match is between Josh Rock and Ricky Evans. Rock is one of the men of the past few months. In fact, it is only a matter of time until the Northern Irishman wins a major tournament to his name. And with the absence of names like Littler, Humphries and Van Gerwen, this weekend may be the perfect opportunity. Then tonight he will first have to deal with Evans, who left a good impression yesterday. 'Rapid Ricky' threw a solid average of over 92 and won 6-2 over Joe Cullen. But as we have often seen, one day is not the other with Evans.

Stephen Bunting and Ryan Joyce close out the evening session this Saturday. Bunting is having an excellent year on the European Tour and is second in the rankings, just behind Aspinall. He could leapfrog 'The Asp' this weekend to become number one seed for the European Darts Championship next week. However, he would first have to get past Joyce, who perhaps made the most impression of all the players yesterday. Relentless' averaged over 104 in his first-round match, edging Justin Hood 6-2. If he can find this level again tonight, Bunting will have the utmost difficulty shaking him off.

Ross Smith v Nathan Aspinall

Jonny Clayton v Raymond van Barneveld

Gerwyn Price v Christian Kist

James Wade v Jermaine Wattimena

Chris Dobey v Dirk van Duijvenbode

Martin Schindler v William O'Connor

Josh Rock v Ricky Evans

Stephen Bunting v Ryan Joyce