Will Pikachu survive the battle against Suzuki and the crowd?

It’s getting hot at the Ally Pally! After Flo Hempel’s win at the weekend, two more Germans are ready to walk on on Tuesday evening. First up is Super League triumphant Dragutin Horvat, who says he wants to enjoy his performance against Mike de Decker to the full after his dance performance following his victory in the final in Bitburg.

An hour later, Ricardo Pietreczko enters the West Hall of the world’s most famous darts hall. It is doubtful whether Pikachu will have as much fun. Ahead of the duel between Germany’s new shooting star Ricardo Pietreczko and Mikuru Suzuki, the odds point to an easy gallop for the Hildesheim title holder, but a few question marks cloud the room:

The audience in particular is the great danger for the Pokemon hero, who almost never followed the series as a child. The unusual nickname can only be traced back to a mix-up when someone mistook Pikachu for Pietreczko during a tournament

Pikachu himself openly admits in interviews that the question of the background to his nickname now really annoys him. Understandable, as this question shows little expertise. So let’s get to the betting analysis! Is the bet on Pietreczko vs Suzuki an attractive proposition?

Ricardo Pietreczko – Statistics & current form

Press conference after press conference – for weeks! Pikachu looks small, unprofessional, somehow out of place with the microphone in front of his nose. This is no criticism of the man who has had Germany’s darts world at his feet since his European Tour triumph in Hildesheim. Victories over Peter Wright and Michael van Gerwen, among others, have changed the life of the Berlin-born Hertha supporter: The media is suddenly part of everyday life, especially before the PDC World Championship. But all Pikachu wants to do is let the darts fly. Darts has been his world for over a decade. If he hadn’t gone straight to England for the Players Championships after the Hildesheim coup, Pikachu would probably have been found at smaller soft-darts tournaments. The main thing is darts!

During the pandemic, Ricardo was in front of the screen every day from 9 a.m. to 2 a.m. to play online tournaments. This also explains why Pikachu virtually never practices (alone in front of the target), but still throws more darts than any of his opponents. The many competitions have raised his level to the maximum as of 2020. Once known as a good 80-average player who can surprise, Pikachu now consistently plays above 90. An annual average of 93.9 makes Germany’s number 3 the number 1 in this statistically valuable category ahead of Gaga and Schindler.

Outstanding double and bull rate for Pikachu 2023

The bull strength of the man who has been able to call himself a professional darts player since winning a tour card at Q-School in January 2022 is particularly impressive. The fact that Pikachu wins the bull at a maximum high percentage before the match in smaller events is an essential key to victory in the shorter “Best of 11” distances. Until shortly before the end of the year, Pietreczko was also ranked in the top 4 of the entire PDC in terms of double rate. World class!

What’s more, the man who once almost lost to the author of this article in a smaller tournament years ago not only never tires of emphasizing that he doesn’t care about his opponent, but actually lives this. Whether against Damian Mol or MvG – Pikachu simply plays his game. That can no longer be denied, at the latest now, since he immediately slammed another 167 finish in front of MvG in Leg 1 after the Hildesheim coup in their next clash.

So what can stop the man from Nuremberg? Presumably, the prediction for Pietreczko vs. Suzuki will be based solely on the crowd, as the matches against Beau Greaves and Aspinall at the Grand Slam left an impression. And Pikachu announced grandly that he would no longer acknowledge the audience if they whistled against him again. A strategy that often only harms his own game. It was already clear to see against Aspinall that the rhythm of every shot changed

Mikuru Suzuki – Statistics & current form

Mikuru Suzuki is even better known in Japan than Pietreczko is in his home country. In short, the small, likeable blonde enjoys almost cult status. Many darts fans are familiar with the videos on YouTube featuring e-dart duels against Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor, in which Mikuru really didn’t cut a bad figure.

A few years ago, Suzuki won the Lakeside World Championship title on her debut after knocking out big names like Lisa Ashton. James Richardson also got soft knees in the only PDC World Championship qualifier to date when he won 3:2 against the Japanese player. The only appearance at the Grand Slam so far ended only by a wafer-thin margin with a victory over ‘Gezzy’, muscleman Gerwyn Price. The other duels against Clayton and Joyce, on the other hand, ended with only one leg won

Mikuru needs her ‘Miracle’

Suzuki throws a strong dart, but not consistently at the level of Ricardo Pietreczko. Pikachu should also clearly dominate the Japanese player in terms of scoring. Logically, the averages in the Womens Series, often well below 80 against opponents at a weaker level, cannot be compared with those of Pikachu, as the average score is automatically lower in duels against weaker opponents. Nevertheless, the nickname “Miracle” is the program for Tuesday. The audience will undoubtedly carry Mikuru on their hands, most likely by unfair means.

If Germany’s hopeful brings his A-game to the board, Suzuki will have little chance of winning, but it is doubtful whether Pietreczko is clever enough not to let possible whistles into his head. Accordingly, the prediction for Pietreczko against Suzuki on Pikachu is at least associated with a small question mark:

Ricardo Pietreczko – Mikuru Suzuki Direct comparison / H2H result

Statisticians will not find a direct duel at PDC level in the balance sheet, but Germany’s shooting star and Asia’s hope Mikuru Suzuki are no strangers to each other. The two have already met in the Japanese player’s home country in 2019. Pikachu has joked in recent days with statements such as “I know Mikuru and I like her. I don’t know if she likes me too”.

Logically, the four-year-old H2h with a minimal match length has no significance for the duel on Tuesday evening at around 10:00 p.m.

Ricardo Pietreczko – Mikuru Suzuki tip

The sporting constellation is quickly clarified. Ricardo Pietreczko is on his way to the top 32 in the world with fantastic stats. Appearances at the 2024 World Matchplay and Grand Prix are just around the corner. Not only has Pikachu not missed any of the 60 Players Championship events since February 2022, he has also been consistent in his performances. Suzuki lacks that consistency and so the betting odds for Pietreczko vs. Suzuki speak for themselves:

The paltry 1.12 odds destroy any hopes of a lucrative Pikachu victory, especially as the crowd could tip the scales. The man who lets his arrows fly in his parents’ basement still has the most catching up to do when it comes to engaging with the crowd. In Pietreczko vs. Suzuki, we opt for a bet at good odds on the German checking out at least one leg on Bull.

In addition to the enormous bull strength of the Nuremberg player, the way he plays also speaks in favor of this, as Ricardo often targets the bull even when his opponent is not in the finish area instead of setting the popular double 16 with the single 18