German Duel at the Ally Pally!
Is a German duel in Round 1 a curse or a blessing? This question is certainly open to debate. On the one hand, of course, it ensures that at least one darts professional in black, red and gold reaches the second round of the World Championship.
On the other hand, it is of course a pity that two good friends and training partners have to eliminate each other. But the lottery fairy has willed it that way and between Martin Schindler and Florian Hempel the prediction can be dared that on Sunday a very exciting and interesting match will take place in the Alexandra Palace.
This clash in the final of the Super League Darts Germany already took place and there “The Wall” could secure his World Championship ticket early. Hempel followed via the Pro Tour and the so far most important clash will now take place in the British capital
The bookmakers do not see a clear favourite and have chosen slightly lower odds on the side of three-time World Championship participant Schindler between Florian Hempel and Martin Schindler. The odds are 1.80 against 2.20 and it will be interesting to see whether Hempel, who is six years older, can take revenge on the biggest stage in the world. The arrows will be flying on the target at around 21:00 German time.
Florian Hempel – statistics & current form
Florian Hempel does not yet have an official nickname with the PDC, which is a sign of how young his career still is. After finishing his handball career he quickly made a splash in darts and fought his way up from amateur to a tour card player in four years.
From Zero to Hero in just four years
In his first year on the Pro Tour 2021 he celebrated directly some successes and could crown the year with the won World Championship ticket. In the Super League Darts Germany he missed two matchdarts in the final against Martin Schindler and just missed the title.
Furthermore he reached the last 16 of the European Championship and a semi-final on the Pro Tour. A real highlight was the win in the European Championship in Salzburg against former World Champion Peter Wright. The average of the 31 year old is quite constant at about 90 points and on a good day he can be dangerous even for seasoned pros.
How are the nerves on the first appearance at the Ally Pally?
Whether nerves will get the better of him or whether the world number 87 will keep a cool head in his first appearance at the Ally Pally will be seen on Sunday. Between Florian Hempel and Martin Schindler, a bet on the underdog will only have a chance if he is mentally ready and can build on his best performances.
Last games of Florian Hempel:
Players Championship 30
11/04 2021 – Damon Heta 6 – 1 Florian Hempel
Players Championship 29
11/03 2021 – Florian Hempel 3 – 6 Damon Heta
11/03 2021 – Florian Hempel 6 – 2 Daryl Gurney
11/03 2021 – Dirk van Duijvenbode 5 – 6 Florian Hempel
11/03 2021 – Keegan Brown 5 – 6 Florian Hempel
Martin Schindler – Statistics & current form
Martin Schindler certainly has a big advantage on Sunday night. Although he is six years younger than his opponent, the world number 69 has the significantly greater experience. He already reached his first world championship in the pros in 2018 and was also in the youth world championship final that year, among other things.
Capping off a strong year for Schindler in 2021?
Three appearances at the Grand Slam of Darts also the third appearance at Alexandra Palace are on his CV. After a small droop in 2019 in 2020 he played this year as strong as never before. A real highlight was of course the 9-darter he managed in a match against Raymond van Barneveld at Q-School.
By winning the Super League Darts Germany title it was already clear early on that the 25 year old would be part of the action in London. Inspired by that the rest of the performances were very good and despite the first round exit at the Grand Slam there was a real highlight to celebrate for “The Wall”.
Experience speaks for the man from Cologne
He defeated the reigning world champion and world number one Gerwyn Price with 5:4 and played an average of 101.66 points. Such runaways upwards have been more and more frequent lately and if he manages a similar performance on Sunday, the odds will be successful for the pairing Florian Hempel vs. Martin Schindler on “The Wall”.
Last matches of Martin Schindler:
Players Championship Finals
11/27 2021 – Gerwyn Price 6 – 1 Martin Schindler
11/26 2021 – Martin Schindler 6 – 3 Ian White
Grand Slam of Darts Group A
11/15 2021 – Gerwyn Price 4 – 5 Martin Schindler
11/14 2021 – Martin Schindler 2 – 5 Nathan Rafferty
11/13 2021 – Krzysztof Ratajski 5 – 1 Martin Schindler
Florian Hempel – Martin Schindler Direct comparison / H2H balance
The direct comparison speaks a very clear language and suggests between Florian Hempel Martin Schindler a bet on the favourite at the bookmakers. Martin Schindler is the favourite and has won all four of the previous meetings, all of which took place in 2021. In the Super League he won three times against his compatriot and after two clear victories in the preliminary round there was the dramatic duel later in the final.
Despite match darts against himself, the world number 69 was allowed to cheer in the end. The fourth encounter followed only a short time later at a Players Championship event and the “wall” from Cologne again had the better end in his favour at 6:2. On Sunday, Schindler would like to keep his clean slate. By far the most important duel between the two Germans so far is coming up.
Florian Hempel – Martin Schindler Tip
The very close situation in the odds comparison can be understood by the fact that both players had a similarly strong year in 2021. They are also separated by only 18 places in the world rankings and the form of the day will certainly be a decisive point on Sunday evening. However, there are also two very important arguments that clearly favour a prediction in the direction of The Wall between Florian Hempel and Martin Schindler.
Firstly, the 25-year-old has much more experience at international level and Hempel’s nerves could throw a spanner in the works in his first World Cup appearance. On the other hand, Schindler has won all four direct duels so far, three of which were relatively clear-cut affairs.
Under these circumstances, a tip on the match Florian Hempel vs. Martin Schindler can only be made in the direction of the Cologne player and a very nice value bet is created, which is played with a stake of eight units
