Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen – World Darts Championship: Live score and leg-by-leg updates as teenage sensation sets his sights on first world title as he comes up against three-time champion

What a fantastic photo.This is being billed as the prodigy vs the grand master.

Not sure I like that analogy. Sure, Van Gerwen has had the best career of anyone who is still going. He is, overall, the very best, and probably the second best player of all time. But if Littler a prodigy? By age or whatever, sure. But he is now a serial winner in his own right.

Anyway, what a match it promises to be. Would love to see these two have a legit chess match.

Russ Bray, speaking to Mail Sport:

Littler has still got growing to do. He’s still only a boy, only a kid, becomes an adult properly in a few weeks’ time. We’ll see how good Luke is in the next couple of years because everything’s new, he’s not defending any money within the circuit. So let’s see what happens after that, because I’m sure he’ll have a different pressure.

He’s got a different pressure this year in the World Championships because everyone’s expecting it. So it’s a different ball game. But he’s more than capable of winning the World Championship, absolutely no two ways about it.

Van Gerwen was the nearest thing to Littler when he was 17. I called a nine-darter for him against Barney [Raymond van Barneveld] in front of four or 5,000 people in the Netherlands when he was 17 years of age. Incredible. There’s a young lad in India who’s only 14. He’s their national champion. He’s a bit tidy. He’s a bit tasty.

I think MvG wins 7-4. He is hitting form and confidence at the right time, also he knows how to win this tournament, having done so three times previous, that may just be the key to him taking the title. But Littler is a class act and to be fair, that 7-4 could be either way.

My colleague, Sam Lawley, had the pleasure of speaking to legendary referee Russ Bray ahead of tonight. What a bloke.

Bray retired after last year’s Worlds after years and years of service to the game. Even if you don’t follow darts too closely, you will be familiar with his iconic ‘180’.

Here’s a social clip we filmed with him playing winner stays on when he cause up with him before the tournament started.

He has also got a book out. It’s called ‘All About Darts’ – well worth a buy if you haven’t checked it out yet.

This is what they are playing for tonight.

It must be nearly as tall as Littler.

So far this competition, it’s all been a bit pally pally when it comes to Littler. During his wins over Nathan Aspinall and Bunting in particular, he was joking, laughing, fist bumping his opponents left, right and centre.

I noticed a bit of criticism of that on social media last night, but I can promise you there will be absolutely none of that tonight. Not MvG’s style.

The mind games began as early as last night in Van Gerwen’s post-match presser, before Littler had even won his game.

He wrote off Littler’s run to this point, while also biting back at one reporter: ‘Don’t ask those silly questions, right? Of course, I’m the favourite.’

Read more below or here. Needle!

Van Gerwen’s numbers didn’t quite match up to Littler’s, but he too was dominant as he dispatched of Chris Dobey by the same score.

A 98.84 average, eight 180s and looking like the Van Gerwen of old on the back of what has been a really poor year for him. Like I say, though, that won’t matter if he wins tonight.

‘I’ve won f*** all yet,’ he told Sky Sports last night. It’s true. There is one very sizeable hurdle left to overcome tonight.

Littler was tipped to get the job done against Stephen Bunting last night, but not in quite as dominant fashion as he did.

The teenager was at his very best, averaging 105.48, throwing 13 180s and hitting 44.19 per cent of his doubles.

It’s not like Bunting was bad. He too averages over 100, but he couldn’t get near Littler, losing 6-1 and merely playing a part in his opponent’s sensational journey.

Littler is ready. It is his destiny to be world champion.

What a year for Littler. Be honest, before last year’s Worlds, how many of you knew who he was?

He was just 16 when he debuted in last year’s tournament. And he just kept winning. From being a bit of a cheeky chap, so to speak, on stage, he took out the likes of Andrew Gilding and Matt Campbell before taking on his childhood hero, Roman van Barneveld.

No issue there either. Just a 4-1 win over a four-time world champion.

The run continued as he beat both Brendan Dolan and Rob Cross, before facing the man who would become his arch rival, Luke Humphries in the final.

He was on top, missing double 2 to go 5-2 up. But he didn’t and Humphries showed his class by coming back to claim victory. But a star was born.

Since then, he has become truly famous, starring on shows like the Jonathan Ross show, Bullseye, and Game of Throws.

There are, though, darts to be thrown. and there’s a job to do tonight.

This is how the two men – well, man and boy – compare ahead of tonight.

It’s no secret that Van Gerwen is much, much more experienced. He has 47 major career titles to Littler’s three. But, this tournament, Littler has more 180s and a higher average – he’s a bit of a maximum machine.

We’ve also had a look at who they support, their routes to the final, and their partners. Click here or below to get the full tale of the tape.

Van Gerwen is looking to win his fourth world title. For Littler, it would be his first, but he is just 17 – in case you hadn’t heard.

The Dutchman is a winning machine, but has not been as his best this year. He has won pretty much nothing – but that could all change tonight and he won’t care one jot if he’s the one lifting the trophy in a few hours.

It is indeed the Sid Waddell trophy they are playing for tonight, named after the legendary commentator. But it’s also the right to be named the world’s best, even though neither man will be able to leapfrog Luke Humphries with a win tonight.

And there is also the small matter of £500,000 on the line.

Good evening one and all and welcome. It’s the big one – Luke Littler vs Michael van Gerwen in the final of the World Darts Championship.

I cannot wait. As soon as defending champion Luke Humphries went out, it was the final everyone wanted, and it’s the final everyone is getting.

The teenage prodigy turned world beater up against one of the best sportspeople in the planet and that the sport of darts has ever seen. No time for sentiment. For poetic endings. If Littler wants to win this thing, he is going to have to earn it. But he knows that, and he know what he is up against.

Play is expected to get underway at around 7:40. So strap in and get ready for what could be an absolute classic.