London's Alexandra Palace will be buzzing on Sunday as the 2025 PDC World Darts Championship gets under way.
Luke Humphries had the measure of teenage sensation Luke Littler in a thrilling final 12 months ago and the burgeoning rivals dominate the betting for this year's showpiece, with bookmakers struggling to find too many alternatives.
However, they are both housed in the top half of the draw and are on course to meet in a blockbuster semi-final, giving punters an added conundrum to consider.
Three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen, 2023 winner Michael Smith and the rejuvenated Gary Anderson, Ally Pally hero in 2015 and 2016, are the three big names in the bottom half and will be hoping to capitalise on the cards they have been dealt.
- LUKE LITTLER TO WIN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
- CHRIS DOBEY TO WIN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP - EACH-WAY
- ROSS SMITH TO WIN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP - EACH-WAY
Superstar Can Rise To The Top
Only one of Humphries or Littler can reach the final and it may be that the younger man goes one better than last year and lifts the Sid Waddell Trophy on only his second visit to the Palace.
Littler has already had a year to remember, winning the Premier League, the World Series of Darts Finals and the Grand Slam of Darts, and his passage to the latter stages looks far more inviting than Humphries'.
Cool Hand Luke will have to navigate a stacked quarter featuring former world champions Peter Wright and Raymond van Barneveld, rising star Mike De Decker, the ever-reliable Stephen Bunting and the dangerous Dirk van Duijvenbode.
Littler, meanwhile, should fear nobody before a potential quarter-final with either Rob Cross, Gian van Veen or Nathan Aspinall, and the Nuke is capable of going on bursts that at times make him look invincible.
The teenage superstar looks a worthy favourite to claim what surely will be the first of many world titles.
LUKE LITTLER TO WIN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
Dobey Eyeing Another Deep Run
The bottom half of the draw looks wide open and there will be plenty of arrowsmiths sniffing an upset, including Chris Dobey, who appears to have landed in the softest quarter.
Second seed Michael Smith is the biggest name in the section but Bully Boy has suffered a series of early exits in televised tournaments this year and successive quarter-final appearances at Ally Pally show that Dobey has no issues performing on the biggest stage in darts.
The talented Josh Rock is a potential third-round opponent but Rocky can be wildly inconsistent and that must give 2023 Masters champion Dobey belief that he can go the distance.
CHRIS DOBEY TO WIN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP EACH-WAY
Smudger Could Spring A Surprise
Another player capable of outperforming his odds at this year’s PDC World Championship is maximum machine Ross Smith, who has had a strong season with a quarter-final run at the World Matchplay and a semi-final finish at the Players Championship Finals.
Smith has crashed out in the third round in the last three years but last season he lost 4-2 to Dobey despite averaging 103.33 and he has become more adept on the big stage in recent times.
Smudger is likely to have to face Anderson and then potentially Van Gerwen, but that route is not as fearsome as it once might have been and from there his draw would open up considerably.
Smith’s treble-hitting expertise is sure to give that pair a serious scare in quarter four.
ROSS SMITH TO WIN WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP - EACH-WAY
