Three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen takes to the Ally Pally stage on Friday evening in what should be a fantastic evening at the World Darts Championship.
Van Gerwen – a PDC winner in 2014, 2017 and 2019 – has slowed his momentum in recent years, but the 35-year-old is still ranked third in the world and poses a real threat once again.
He will face James Horrell in the second round in the last match of the sixth day, and he is a qualifier for the quarter-finals in 2022.
The big match of the afternoon sees the highly populated Stephen Ponting take on Kai Gotthardt.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐃𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐦𝐩𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐬 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐤! 🏆🎯 It's time to step up and fight for this special trophy once again. 💚 Let's make it unforgettable. Who is ready? Let's do this! pic.twitter.com/Ms3tNGXRhf
– Michael van Gerwen (@MvG180) December 15, 2024
Ponting, 39, has never made it past the semi-final stage in the PDC, but will be hoping to move on to the third round without much fanfare.
Order of play
Afternoon session (from 12:30 GMT)
Steven Burton vs Alex Merckx (R1)
Vissel Nyman vs. Cameron Carolissen (R1)
Ian White vs. Sandro Sosing (R1)
Stephen Ponting vs Kai Gotthardt (R2)
Evening session (from 19:00 GMT)
Mickey Mansell vs. Tomoya Goto (R1)
Florian Hempel vs. Geoffrey De Zwaan (R1)
William O'Connor vs. Dylan Slevin (R1)
Michael van Gerwen vs James Horrell (R2)
How to watch
The PDC World Championship is shown on Sky Sports in the UK.
You can watch the afternoon session on Sky Sports Darts and Main Event from 12:30 GMT, with the evening session on both channels from 19:00.
Predictions
The routine wins against Ponting and Van Gerwen, who is hungry to reclaim his title on the biggest stage.