There'll be none of Vincent van der Voort's underhand shenanigans in the penultimate day of play. The Dutchman departs alongside Adrian Lewis, leaving just Michael Smith, Gary Anderson, Dimitri van den Bergh and Glen Durrant in the running for the World Matchplay title. It's easy to point a finger at Kirk Bevins, but nigh on impossible to point out an obvious favourite.

First up are Smith and Anderson, whose mutual appreciation is well known. One part of that appreciation comes from the fact that their swift, free-flowing games complement each other beautifully. The mesmerising 2017 Grand Slam knockout meeting is a memorable example of what the pair can produce. As the fifth and eighth seeds respectively, both will feel they're the World Matchplay favourite in the final if they can come through this.

There's no need to focus on where Smith falls short, because it's been covered many a time. The only way to shake that particular tag is to get winning. Smith has had some banana skins laid down for him, in the form of a perennial threat to the top 16 (Jonny Clayton), a member of said top 16 (Mensur Suljovic) and an up-and-coming PDC star (Krzysztof Ratajski). He's beaten them all, playing consistently and, for the most part, looking the better player from start to finish.

Anderson, meanwhile, has shown a similar sort of control while only approaching his best latterly against Simon Whitlock. There's plenty more to come from the Scot, and with the World Matchplay title within sight, this is the perfect time to go up a gear. One thing that will concern him is the finishing, which wasn't all there against Whitlock. As the man himself said, if he can fully concentrate on the task ahead, he should be alright.

That semi-final's likely to be fast and furious; Durrant verus Van den Bergh will be more leisurely in tempo, but will likely feature as many fireworks. Durrant might be just a little concerned that he was largely chasing the game against Vincent van der Voort before coming out an 18-16 winner. But there are two sides to that coin; it also showed tenacity and determination. Like his opponent, Durrant can be guilty of getting in his own head too much, yet also seems impossible to shake off.

Unlike the man he faces in Milton Keynes, Van den Bergh spent the entirety of his quarter-final in the box seat. The Belgian looked confident in that role, holding his nerve impressively. It's that, on top of the first semi-final appearance, that makes you wonder if a floodgate just broke. Now a maiden PDC major final is in the offing for both. For Van den Bergh, it's a first pop at a major final. Durrant has been in plenty before, but hasn't yet got to the final hurdle as a PDC player. There will be a lot of puffing of cheeks, shaking of heads and harsh words muttered under respective breaths. Also keep an eye out for near-gratuitous shows of respect, hands held out in apology by the winner, and a very gracious post-match interview.

Having the same certainty that Durrant has this sewn up would be a mistake. Van den Bergh comes into this after a quarter-final featuring an average just short of three figures, plus a checkout success rate of over 40 per cent, both of which are very positive signs. At least history is on Duzza's side - he'll recall the Players Championship 4 triumph over Van den Bergh last year, and will be out to repeat the trick. After that, he's just one match (and just the one Pot Noodle, presumably) away from long-awaited PDC glory.

Click here for more information about the World Matchplay, including the tournament bracket, TV coverage and prize money breakdown.

20:10 Gary Anderson v Michael Smith
21:45 Glen Durrant v Dimitri Van den Bergh

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