European Championship Darts: Mighty Mike and Wizard bets to accompany Power surge

Van Gerwen and Whitlock provide value in bottom half of the draw.
Darts is back on our television screens and Jaymes Monte has picked out his best bets for this weekend's European Championships...
Following a two-month hiatus darts is back on our television screens this weekend with the fifth annual European Championships live on ESPN in the UK. Although the tournament began back in 2008 there is only one name on the roll of honour, with Phil Taylor having won each staging of the continental event.
Aside from a couple of minor promotional events in Australia, The Power hasn't taken to the oche since lifting the Betfair World Matchplay trophy a couple of months ago. Although he looked way below his best in Blackpool that week he still had plenty enough in his locker to claim the prestigious title. And despite being out of action for a number of weeks there's every reason to think that he can add another major title to his name this weekend at odds of 2.1411/10.
No better reason than the favourable draw that he has been handed in Germany. He begins the defence of his title with a first round match against Magnus Caris, then will play Jerry Hendriks or Mensur Suljovic in the second round. Although the quality of European players is increasing rapidly, Taylor effectively has a bye to the quarter-finals here. And considering the likes of Raymond van Barneveld, Kim Huybrechts, Mervyn King, Kevin Painter and Justin Pipe are amongst those unseeded, the draw couldn't have been much kinder to The Power.
At odds of 2.1411/10 we can use Taylor as our saver bet, and accompany him with a couple of bigger priced options in the opposite half of the draw.
At the top of that list is Simon Whitlock who can be backed at odds of 18.017/1. The Australian ended a two-year wait for a ranking title with victory in Sunday's Players Championship event and kicks off this campaign with a match against Mark Walsh whom he holds a 7-4 head-to-head advantage over. In the second round he will player either the inexperienced Gino Vos or out-of-form Dave Chisnall before his first big test in the quarter-finals where he could face James Wade.
In the past I've questioned whether Whitlock has the bottle to win a major title, but this 'lesser' major might just offer him the opportunity to prove me wrong. And if he stutters at the latter stages in Germany this weekend, then that cross through his name in my notebook will be reiterated with a big fat permanent marker.
Another in the bottom half, but opposite quarter to The Wizard, is Michael van Gerwen who can be backed at a massive 40.0039/1. Like Whitlock he won one of the weekend's Players Championship events in Barnsley, beating Ian White in the final with a 107.85 three-dart average, and reached the semi-final in the other. Unlike Whitlock the Dutchman has looked good in recent majors and does, as he proved very early in his career, have the metal to win major titles.
He'll need to be on top of his game from the off as the draw hasn't been kind, but the bigger games seem to bring out the best in the youngster and so I am not overtly concerned by his potentially difficult route to success.
Recommended Bets:
10 points - Back Phil Taylor to win @ 2.1211/10
5 points - Back Simon Whitlock to win @ 18.0017/1
5 points - Back Michael van Gerwen to win @ 40.0039/1