Defending champion Luke Humphries and teenage superstar Luke Littler are dominating the headlines going into the World Darts Championship, but who else could be lifting the trophy on 3 January?
The bookmakers have the event down as a two-horse race and that is understandable as the two finalists from the last World Championship have excelled all year.
However, they are far from the only dogs in this fight and given that they are in the same half of the draw it is impossible for there to be a repeat of last January’s final.
The opposite half of the draw is full of threats including a string of former winners of the tournament.
There is also the chance that surprises will be sprung in the top half of the draw, as while Humphries and Littler are heavily fancied to meet in a blockbuster semi-final, one or both could be stunned before that stage.
Of course there is quality all over the place in the World Championship field, but here are five contenders to shock Alexandra Palace and prove that it is not just the Luke Show.
Gary Anderson
Gary Anderson turns 54 during the World Championship this year and, by his own admission, barely practices but such is the talent of the Flying Scotsman he remains a live contender for the title.
His epic semi-final scrap with Littler was one of the matches of the season and while he lost it in a deciding leg, it showed that the old lion can still hold his own against the young pup.
Anderson has not won a TV title this year but has won on the Euro and Pro Tours and has been chucking consistently excellent averages all season.
It’s likely going to take a brilliant performance to stop him, but seeded 14th, he could have a very tough draw early on, with the potential of a clash withold rival MVG in just the fourth round.
Michael van Gerwen
A three-time world champion and current world number three, it is no wild stretch to call Michael van Gerwen a contender for the crown.
The Dutchman is a long way from the supreme force he was a few years ago, but he is still extremely dangerous and capable of sensational stuff when it clicks.
Unfortunately for MVG it hasn’t really been clicking in major tournaments for some time and while once he felt inevitable to be in contention come January, it now feels far more speculative than a safe bet.
The 35-year-old is very motivated to reach the top of the mountain again. As Joe Cullen said to Online Darts: ‘People like Michael van Gerwen are looking at them [Humphries and Littler] and he’s not happy about it. It used to be Michael van Gerwen and everyone else and it’s not that now. It’s the two Lukes and everyone else.’
He is in the opposite half of the draw to the Lukes, but faces that possible Anderson showdown early on.
Michael Smith
Recent form does not really point to a brilliant few weeks ahead for Michael Smith but the former champion and three-time finalist is always a threat.
Bully Boy is talking a good game and feels he can put a pretty forgettable couple of years since he won the big one behind him with a strong showing at Ally Pally again.
‘Semis for me is bare minimum, but I’m only turning up to win,’ Smith told Sky Sports. ‘You shouldn’t think about, I’d love to get to the third round of the World’s, or the last 16, you want to be the world champion. That’s my main target, my only target, is winning.
‘It is all going down to 15 December when a month of the Worlds starts. If I can have my game ready for that, or win the Worlds, my year’s been amazing again.’
Smith would be a punt this year, but anyone who has been to two of the last three finals and would avoid Humphries and Littler before the showpiece is not to be ignored.
Wessel Nijman
Wessel Nijman will be a new name to some viewers over the festive period but he is a player to keep an eye on and could get on a serious run at Ally Pally.
The 24-year-old served a ban for match-fixing before he joined the Pro Tour, which partly explains his delayed development, but he has impressed on his first season with the big boys.
His darts in floor events have seen some bookmakers class the Dutchman as a shorter price than Smith for the title, which is a big endorsement.
Nijman comes in at the first round and may well have to beat Joe Cullen and Gerwyn Price before he even makes the fourth round, but if he can do that, he will be tough to stop.
Damon Heta
It is going to take something special to come through the half which features the two favourites, but the man in the kind of form to do it is Damon Heta.
The Australian is yet to get his hands on a major individual title, but is getting closer, reaching a UK Open semi-final this year with a win over Littler along the way.
It is on the floor that he has been sparkling recently, averaging more than any other player over their last 200 legs as the Pro Tour season came to an end.
That put The Heat top of the PDC’s form guide published earlier this month and while Alexandra Palace is a big leap from the Pro Tour, Heta is a long shot with a chance.
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