World Darts Championship – Day 13: Preview, order of play, watching and predictions as Luke Littler and Michael Van Gerwen take center stage
The main event
Luke Littler returns to the Alexandra Palace stage tonight and his chances of winning the inaugural World Darts Championship have increased following the stunning exit of Luke Humphries.
Humphries was beaten 4-1 by Peter Wright last night to open Littler’s group as the pair were due to meet in the semi-final.
However, Littler must beat Ryan Joyce in the fourth round before he can consider a route to Friday’s final.
Photos say it all🙌🏼 It feels good to get the win and be in the next round. See you on Monday❤️🎯 pic.twitter.com/hiOheEPlO6
— Luke Littler (@LukeTheNuke180) December 29, 2024
The 39-year-old from Newcastle defeated Ryan Searle in the decider in the third round but admitted he would be in trouble if Littler played to his full potential.
He said: “I’ll go into the game thinking that I can win the game, but I’ll also feel like I’m the underdog to win.” We’ve seen so many times in sport that it’s not always the case Favorite wins, otherwise it would be boring to watch, wouldn’t it?
“When Luke Littler is playing at his absolute best level, he can beat anyone and brush me aside with ease.”
Littler was surprised by his opponent’s negative assessment, saying: “I didn’t know he said that.
“If he thinks that, it’s not really good for his game.”
Littler struggled in his opening victory at Ally Pally before defeating Ryan Meikle in a stunning final set, but he looked more composed in victory over Ian White.
The 17-year-old will follow Michael van Gerwen on stage tonight as the Dutchman takes on Jeffrey de Graaf.
Van Gerwen beat Brendan Dolan last time out but was not happy with his performance, especially in the closing stages.
He said: “I think the fifth set was absolute c***. And you’re not allowed to do that. Especially against Brendan, he’s like a fighter who never gives up and you don’t want to get yourself in trouble, but I almost did.”
Another 𝐰𝐢𝐧 in the bag! 💚🎯 The journey continues – on to the round of 16! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/pD0QDzYoJ4
— Michael Van Gerwen (@MvG180) December 28, 2024
The evening session begins with an interesting encounter between Stephen Bunting and Luke Woodhouse.
Two more Tynesiders take to the oche in the afternoon session: Chris Dobey meets Kevin Doets and Callan Rydz meets Rob Owen.
Order of play
Afternoon Session (1230 GMT)
Kevin Doets vs. Chris Dobey
Rob Owen vs. Callan Rydz
Ricardo Pietreczko in Nathan Aspinall
Evening session (1900 GMT)
Stephen Bunting vs Luke Woodhouse
Michael van Gerwen versus Jeffrey de Graaf
Luke Littler vs Ryan Joyce
Here’s how to watch
The PDC World Championship will be broadcast on Sky Sports in the UK.
You can watch the afternoon session on Sky Sports Darts and Main Event from 12:30pm GMT. The evening session will take place on Sky Sports Darts from 1900.
Predictions
Joyce could be a difficult opponent for Littler. He has nothing to lose, by his own admission, and a hands-off approach could prove productive against the tournament favorites, for whom expectations will only grow following Humphries’ departure.
It’s hard to imagine Littler losing, but expect Joyce to win a few sets and boost the teenager, who has struggled to hit top form so far in this tournament, save for a few breakaways.
Van Gerwen is now Littler’s biggest threat and he should get past De Graaf with minimal effort.
With games being close, another first win could come in the evening session, but we’ll come out on top with Bunting against Woodhouse.
The afternoon games seem a little easier to predict. We expect wins for Dobey and Rydz, with Aspinall finding a way past Pietreczko.
