- Van Gerwen will face Littler in the World Darts Championship final on Friday night.
- Littler beats Nathan Aspinall and Stephen Bunting en route to the final
- The Dutchman aims to win his fourth world title and the first since 2019
Michael van Gerwen has pointed to Luke Littler’s path to the World Darts Championship final ahead of their monumental clash at Alexandra Palace on Friday night.
The three-time world champion dispatched Chris Dobey with ease, edging out the Geordie’s 6-1 semi-final win on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, teenage sensation Littler, who was beaten by Luke Humphries in last year’s final, has come through his last four challenges against crowd favorite Stephen ‘The Bullet’ Bunting.
Before that, the 17-year-old easily beat world No. 12 Nathan Aspinall in the quarterfinals. The tournament favorite triumphed 5-2, achieving 15 maximums with an average of 101.54.
However, Van Gerwen has downplayed the difficulty of Littler’s path to a second successive world final with an X-rated rant against the level of his opponents.
“The last few games he played well, but it’s also easy to talk about that,” Van Gerwen began. Of course, that (quarter-final against Nathan Aspinall) was his best match because he had absolutely no opponents.
Michael van Gerwen downplayed the difficulty of Luke Littler’s path to the world darts final
Van Gerwen faces teenage sensation Littler (right) for the title at Ally Pally on Friday night.
The Dutchman claimed his son “would have beaten” Littler’s quarter-final opponent Nathan Aspinall (pictured).
‘Aspinall… I think my little son would have beaten him, he didn’t throw shit.’
The rivalry between Van Gerwen and Littler may have only begun in early 2024, but watching the pair collide in the ultimate competition has become box office staples over the course of the past 12 months.
The pair have met 12 times since their first match at the Bahrain Masters in January, with both finishing on top six times each.
Littler has had the better of his recent meetings, beating the Dutchman in the semi-finals of the World Series of Darts and on the European Tour.
However, when asked who is the favorite heading into their biggest battle yet, Van Gerwen confidently dismissed Littler’s chances of being crowned champion.
‘Who do you think you are? Don’t ask those stupid questions, right? Of course, I’m the favorite,” Van Gerwen said.
‘Purely in terms of quality, what I have demonstrated in recent years. And not only that, also the past games.”
It is not the first time that Van Gerwen has openly attacked Littler in this year’s championship.
Littler and Van Gerwen have met 12 times and both finished on top six times each.
The Dutch darts star aims to win his fourth world title and first since 2019 (above)
Littler is confident he can do better than last year after losing to Luke Humphries in the 2024 final.
Before the youngster narrowly beat Ryan Joyce in the round of 16, the 35-year-old Dutch star had a few words on his rival’s form.
‘I think the biggest disappointment so far is Luke Littler. “A lot of people expect a lot from him, that’s why he’s not 100 percent.”
Meanwhile, Littler apparently firmly believes he will avenge his loss to Humphries last year by defeating Van Gerwen.
‘I have gained a lot of experience. Obviously, Michael has been to numerous finals and this is the second one,” Littler began. I know where I went wrong last year and I’m sure I’ll fix it.
‘I felt very safe (last night). The best I felt was against Nathan in the quarterfinals, but I’m happy to play with confidence.
‘I’m making the shots when I needed to. Stephen was right behind me the entire game and I just couldn’t get off the gas.
“Everyone expects it more than me. But if I win seven sets I will be happy. It would mean everything (to win). Win seven sets and I will be over the moon.”