William O'Connor vs Dylan Slevin Prediction: O’Connor to dominate again

William O'Connor and Dylan Slevin will meet in round 1/64 of the PDC World Championship at Alexandra Palace, London. The last time these two Irish players played a competitive match, they ended in a loss. With William O'Connor dominating this fixture's previous meeting, can Dylan Slevin get his chance? I will look into the two players’ recent games below and offer promising betting options. 

William O'Connor did not have luck in his last two matches, and the 38-year-old professional will hope to do better here. In those matches, he lost 3-6 against Niels Zonneveld in the World Players Championship round 1/32 and Josh Rock in the semi-final of the Players Championship 30. However, prior encounters in that run saw him go five matches unbeaten. In fact, William O'Connor has lost only three of his last ten games, one other against James Wade. In the meantime, William O'Connor secured wins over Brendan Dolan, Matt Campbell, Josh Rock, Dave Chisnall, Richard Veenstra, and Damon Heta. 

While he comes into this game favoured, I believe the Irish player will return to his best again, pull off another solid performance and win. 

Dylan Slevin is coming off a run of inconsistent performances, which he has to improve on. In his last matches, Dylan Slevin has just three wins, which is not surprising in eleven games. Dylan Slevin defeated Jeffrey Sparidaans, Mario Vandenbogaerde, and Niels Zonneveld in his wins. 

In that run, Dylan Slevin also suffered defeats at the hands of Rob Cross, Dave Chisnall, Kim Huybrechts, Jitse van der Wal, Danny Noppert, Darryl Pilgrim, and Ritchie Edhouse. 

While Dylan Slevin heads into this game with no wins against a top opponent, it is up to him to show he is up to the task. I think if he approaches this game with quick and solid play, he might have a chance despite William's incredible run. 

Despite the two players having a tough time heading into this game, it is clear why William O'Connor is heavily rated to win this game. Having met with the Irish player, Dylan Slevin failed to compete, and William O'Connor took his chances in both encounters. While Dylan Slevin has not improved his play since the last meeting with William O'Connor in 2023, I do not expect a surprising performance from the Irish. You can make a case that this could be a tough encounter, but I am convinced by the performances I have seen from William O'Connor lately. Therefore, in what could end within a few legs, a handicap win for William O'Connor is what I expect.