Twelve matches, six wins every. Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen has grow to be a box-office match over the past 12 months and the rivalry will attain its crescendo on Friday within the World Championship last.
Littler’s meteoric rise on the 2024 World Darts Championship, the place he completed runner-up to Luke Humphries, has been backed up with the Premier League, World Sequence of Darts Finals and Grand Slam of Darts last titles.
Van Gerwen, in the meantime, didn’t win a televised match in 2024, which is the primary time he has not gained in a calendar yr since 2011.
Friday’s last is by far crucial assembly between the pair, as Van Gerwen seeks a fourth world title and Littler a primary.
So, how did we get right here?
Littler places down a marker however MVG responds
Two weeks after final yr’s World Darts Championship, Littler made a nine-darter in his quarter-final win in opposition to Nathan Aspinall on the Bahrain Darts Masters and met Van Gerwen within the last on January 19.
It was the primary of many conferences between two of darts’ most gifted gamers and Littler got here out on high 8-5 to elevate his first senior PDC title on his World Sequence debut.
Van Gerwen vowed to be higher for the subsequent time the pair met; that he would “get” Littler. He did precisely that only a week afterward house soil on the Dutch Darts Masters.
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Michael Bridge appears to be like again at Luke Littler’s beautiful path to success on the Bahrain Masters, which noticed the 16-year-old beat a few of the largest names in darts in addition to producing a nine-darter
An exciting last noticed each gamers going toe-to-toe and there was nothing to separate them till the final leg when Van Gerwen punished a missed 170 from Littler to win 8-6.
“Luke put me under so much pressure,” mentioned Van Gerwen, who gained his sixteenth World Sequence of Darts crown.
“Luke has a very bright future ahead of him. We all know that, but you still want to stop him, and you have to do the right things against him, which is what I did tonight.
“His scoring energy is immense so it’s a must to carry on combating, however I’m glad that I used to be capable of.”
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Michael van Gerwen edged Luke Littler 6-5 in a dramatic last-leg decider on night time two of Premier League Darts
Large Premier League clashes
The format of the Premier League Darts means the world’s greatest eight gamers meet each Thursday over 17 weeks, so naturally we might see loads of Van Gerwen vs Littler.
On Night time 2 in early February, Littler missed two match darts within the Berlin last and Van Gerwen punished him to win 6-5 and set free an enormous roar when he gained, underlining how a lot it meant for the Dutchman to beat {the teenager}.
Two weeks later in Newcastle, Van Gerwen snatched victory once more from Littler in a deciding leg, this time within the semi-finals, and he went on to win the night time.
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Luke Littler missed a fist-bump from Michael van Gerwen to depart him awkwardly hanging throughout their Premier League semi-final in Newcastle in February. Their rivalry can be reunited on the the World Matchplay!
Nonetheless, the subsequent three matches went Littler’s approach. On Night time 7 in Nottingham, Littler averaged a sensational 114 with a surprising 6-2 quarter-final victory over Van Gerwen. That was the match the place Van Gerwen “finished off” Littler’s nine-darter try.
Littler took full benefit of a below-par Van Gerwen with two 6-3 wins over the approaching weeks, however the Dutchman gained Night time 11’s last with a 6-3 win of his personal.
The final Premier League assembly was gained by Van Gerwen 6-1, however Littler in the end gained the entire thing as MVG misplaced within the semi-finals to Humphries.
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The Shepmates are again with one other hilarious commentary, this time on Luke Littler’s 9 darter within the Premier League
Van Gerwen stuns Littler at World Matchplay
Van Gerwen and Littler drew one another within the first spherical of the World Matchplay and it was, surprisingly, a one-sided contest.
The three-time world champion knocked Littler out 6-1 however misplaced to Humphries within the last.
Littler received the higher of Van Gerwen within the World Sequence of Darts semi-finals and on the European Tour, so he has the higher current type.
Trying on the greater moments although, Van Gerwen has an edge and that may very well be essential on Friday.
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The perfect motion from the ultimate batch of matches of spherical one on the World Matchplay Darts from Winter Gardens, Blackpool
What do Van Gerwen and Littler consider one another?
Michael van Gerwen:
“I think he’s great. What he’s done for the sport is great. Fair play to him.
“Tv and social media is massive which helps him. It is good for darts typically. I do not thoughts.”
Luke Littler:
“As I received older, I watched darts increasingly more. The primary one [Van Gerwen match] I bear in mind was the 2017 last when he beat Gary [Anderson].
“He’s been around for years and years and I’m sure he won’t change for anyone.”
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Luke Littler explains how he’s coping with fame, what he does to deal with the hectic schedule and provides his ideas on Manchester United
What’s subsequent?
Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen will meet within the World last on Friday night time at Alexandra Palace
Luke Littler is one win away from creating historical past after reaching his second successive world championship last. The 17-year-old from Warrington will tackle Michael van Gerwen, who’s chasing his fourth World title after bulldozing his solution to the ultimate. Watch the drama unfold from 7.30pm this Friday on Sky Sports activities Darts.
Watch the Premier League Darts on Sky Sports activities
Littler celebrates with the Premier League Darts trophy
Watch all of the motion from the Premier League on Sky Sports activities with Luke Littler aiming to defend his title. The brand new Premier League season will start in Belfast on Thursday, February 6, as darts’ largest occasion returns to an unchanged line-up of 17 venues throughout the UK and Europe.
Who will win the Premier League Darts? Watch all of the motion on Sky Sports activities. Stream darts and extra high sport with NOW.
