The main event
Two-time world champion Gary Anderson begins his campaign against Jeffrey de Graaf tomorrow evening.
Anderson, winner in 2015 and 2016, remains one of the most popular players in the game and will receive plenty of vocal support from the Alexandra Palace crowd against Holland’s De Graaf.
The Flying Scotsman has won three races this season but it was a loss that gave him the inner belief that he can mount a challenge at the worlds.
Anderson took teenager Luke Littler to a penalty in the Grand Slam of Darts semi-finals and although he lost 16-15, he gained a lot from that clash in Wolverhampton last month.
LITTLE WINS CLASSIC! 🤯
THIS IS JUST AWESOME!
Luke Littler fights back from the brink to beat Gary Anderson 16-15 in an epic Grand Slam semi-final in Wolverhampton!
Shocking from both players! 👏
📺 https://t.co/lkfAqflnXa #GSOD | SF pic.twitter.com/ldSbWCnxfj
— PDC Darts (@OfficialPDC) November 17, 2024
He told the Daily Record: “He really got me going, the right play, four feet on him, I had to hold my throw once and I messed it up.
“Even then, I could see when Luke hit me, you could see the relief on his face, so I went, I pushed you. It’s good, it gives me a little buzz and it gives you that glow. Little things give me a little change and I need that to keep me going. There are a few dart players out there and it’s still nice to join in by playing against them.
“If you look at his games in the semi-finals and the final, he was an old 54-year-old who took it all the way. I like that kind of stuff, I like to see, can I still play to their standards? My finish that night was great, my score wasn’t very good.”
De Graaf is world number 81 and beat Rashad Sweeting 3-1 in the first round.
World number 11 Dimitri van den Bergh follows Anderson on stage with Callan Rydz, so impressive in his opener, also in action on the night.
Game series
Afternoon session (from 12:30 GMT)
Ryan Searle v Matt Campbell (R2)
Dirk van Duijvenbode – Madars Razma (R2)
Joe Cullen – Wessel Nijman (R2)
Ritchie Edhouse vs Ian White (R2)
Afternoon session (from 19:00 GMT)
Martin Schindler vs. Callan Ridge (R2)
Ross Smith v Paolo Nebrida (R2)
Gary Anderson v Jeffrey de Graaf (R2)
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Dylan Slevin (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 from 12:30 GMT. The evening session has been on Sky Sports Darts since 1900 and the Main Event since 1915.
Predictions
Anderson should be very good for De Graaf, as should Van den Berg against Slevin.
The closest match could be between Rydz and world number 22 Schindler. Rydz has the game to blow anyone away and he’s a must-see despite being the underdog against the German.
Elsewhere, there should be wins for Searle, Van Duijvenbode, Nijman, Edhouse and Smith.
