Luke Littler will be hoping to win the World Matchplay title if he beats Michael van Gerwen in their first round clash in Blackpool.
The Premier League champions are aiming for more trophies at Winter Gardens, where they begin with a tough opening game against Van Gerwen, who has won all nine of their head-to-head encounters 5-4.
But the Dutchman, a three-time World Matchplay winner, has struggled to find his best form this year and suffered defeat to Stephen Bunting in the 2024 Masters final.
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Littler is confident England will beat the Netherlands to reach the Euro 2024 final, while Raymond van Barneveld is hoping his home nation emerge victorious so he can have some family bragging rights!
Littler, who heard about the Van Gerwen match while attending the British Grand Prix, told the I love darts podcast: “I was at Silverstone doing the hot lap with Lando Norris (when he found out).
“I saw that Darts on Facebook had just finished a live stream so I scrolled down until I found my name and found Michael. I was saying he’s not playing his best darts at the moment but we all know what he’s capable of.”
Their blockbuster first-round clash will take place on Monday, with the World Matchplay starting on Saturday, live on Sky Sports.
Van Gerwen is a matchup Littler will enjoy. “It’s always going to be interesting who I play, no matter who it is, especially Michael and especially for me to watch him (for) years and years,” Littler said.
“We’ve played nine times already, but it should be good.”
He added: “I’ve seen the names on the side of the table that Michael and I are in, and I know that if I can get past Michael, I’ll be putting my chances on whoever wins his matches.
“But I think if I get past Michael, I can have another good run.”
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Littler and Lando Norris face off in a darts challenge followed by a quick lap around the Silverstone track ahead of the British Grand Prix
This will be Littler’s World Matchplay debut. “I’ve always watched it for many years and there have been so many champions,” “I heard it’s one of the hottest places, so I’ll have to get used to it,” he said.
He is preparing for the Winter Gardens event with serious training.
“I trained hard this weekend and I’m not done training yet, there are still a few days to go before I go to Blackpool,” he said.
“After we won the Premier League we had planned to go to New York and I had planned to go to Florida for a week to relax. But after that I came home and obviously went to Poland and won.
“Obviously it didn’t happen in New York, but it was just a good experience to be at MSG (Madison Square Garden).
“I didn’t train for the ProTours, so it was just a bit of training for me. Now I’m training at home for the Matchplay.”
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This should prepare him for the second major tournament of the season.
“I love playing in front of a crowd, I think everyone knows that from the Worlds. Just being involved with the crowd and being involved with them makes me feel even more comfortable,” he said.
“It’s one of the best formats,” Littler continued. “Obviously you play five rounds, you take a break and I always think, ‘You’re at the finish line now, no matter what, just try to get over the line.’”
Watch the World Matchplay Darts from 13th to 21st July live on Sky Sports.
