Luke Littler will hope the experience he gained from last year's World Darts Championship final defeat to Luke Humphries will come in handy when he takes on Michael van Gerwen tonight.
Littler fought his way to the title match 12 months ago after starting the tournament as a 16-year-old.
Humphreys proved too strong on that occasion, but Littler returns a year later having continued his meteoric rise to prominence with a season that saw him win the Premier League, the Grand Slam of Darts and the World Darts Championship among other tournaments.
Not only that, he emerged as one of the most recognizable faces in British sport and took interest in the game of darts to a new level.
“I've gained a lot of experience over the last year,” said Littler, who averaged 102 over his five matches at Alexandra Palace.
Michael has participated in many finals; This is only the second time, but I know where I went wrong last year, and I'm sure I will fix it.
“Lifting this title would mean everything, but my only focus now is to win in seven sets tomorrow night.”
🗣️ “It would mean the world to lift this title!”
Luke Littler remembers the thrilling semi-final win over Stephen Ponting, as he eyes a thrilling final against Michael van Gerwen tomorrow night…#WCDarts pic.twitter.com/VRkFqRXmvu
— Siham PDC (@OfficialPDC) January 2, 2025
Littler easily qualified to the final by crushing Stephen Ponting 6-1, and showed the calm and confidence that was often missing in his previous matches.
“I felt very confident tonight. The best I felt was against Nathan (Aspinall) in the quarter-finals, but I'm glad I'm playing with that confidence,” Littler added.
“I hit the right shots when I need to. Stephen was behind me the whole game, so I couldn't stop pressing the throttle.
Mike the Great is not to be underestimated
Standing in his way tonight is the great Dutch figure Van Gerwen.
The three-time world champion was too strong for Chris Dobie in last night's semi-final, winning 6-1 with minimal fuss.
The 35-year-old has had a disappointing year by his lofty standards, but a win tonight will reinforce his belief that he can still beat the world number one Humphries and Littler.
“I only reached the final and the final means nothing. I want to win and that is the only thing that matters to me.”
“For me, the whole package has to be right, and the train is still moving like that which is good.
“My experience might be really important, but I haven't won anything yet. We're still a long way off.”
🗣️ “The total package has to be right!”
Michael van Gerwen's reaction after serving Chris Dobey 6-1 to move into his seventh World Championship final!#WCDarts pic.twitter.com/5RsFKAb8ca
— Siham PDC (@OfficialPDC) January 2, 2025
How to watch
The PDC World Championship is shown on Sky Sports in the UK.
You can watch the final on Sky Sports Darts and Main Event from 7.30pm GMT.
prediction
A year ago, Littler was destined to cap his remarkable run to the final with a victory. But that didn't take into account the fact that Humphries was the better player at the time.
At the moment, Littler is stronger than Van Gerwen, and if the match takes place at the local pub, it will put good money on the teenager.
However, this is the biggest day on the darts calendar, as all eyes will be on Alexandra Palace with the majority turning to intrigue to see if the prince can become king.
Thus, the match will be decided. Can Littler remain sober despite the massive attention he's generating? In many ways, this is a free hit for Van Gerwen and that's what makes him dangerous.
However, it is impossible to bet against Littler. He has gone all-in this year, and while this is still the biggest hurdle to overcome mentally, we believe he will do it and potentially start to monopolize the biggest prize in the game.
