Luke Littler is one match away from reaching the World Darts Championship final with Stephen Bunting.
Littler, 17, produced an impressive performance to dispatch Nathan Aspinall in the quarter-finals on New Year's Day.
He now faces Bunting, who knocked out two-time champion Peter Wright in his last outing.
Wright, who knocked out Luke Humphries earlier, spoke of his ability to challenge the top players.
However, Bunting ended those ambitions and went into the final against Littler, who he had beaten last year.
For Littler, This year comes with added pressure. He acknowledges that expectations are higher now compared to his achievements last season.
Luke Littler Michael van Gerwen Stephen Bunting and Chris Dobey booked their places in the semi-finals of the Paddy Power World Darts Championship on Wednesday.
Recap from an exciting day of quarterfinal action at Ally Pally. 📝👇
— PDC Sticks (@OfficialPDC) January 1st 2025
“Obviously, Michael (van Gerwen) has been there a lot of times, Chris is in his first place, I'm in second, I know Bunting is in his first or second, so it's going to be a good night,” Littler said.
“I feel the best I've done so far in this tournament,” he said. So hopefully I can come back again with the group and have the same feeling.
“We all know the expectations and it's very different from last year. But tonight I felt the greatest and hopefully we can regroup like I did on that stage.”
Van Gerwen fired Dobey before the match.
Michael van Gerwen will start Thursday's semi-final against Chris Dobey.
The three-time world champion Dutchman was quick to dismiss Dobey's recent comments before the match.
Dobey said facing Van Gerwen in the last four was “a bit easier” than playing Bedlington native Callan Rydz. Van Gerwen, who beat Rydz in the previous round, was not shy in his response.
New Year's Day at the palace. ✅#WCDarts pic.twitter.com/SubbcdffE0
— PDC Sticks (@OfficialPDC) January 1st 2025
“People say a lot of stupid things when they win,” Van Gerwen said.
“Dobey is a very interesting player to play against because he can create really good things. So he's a good player, so you always have to make sure you keep your own fire and everything.”
Van Gerwen is chasing his fourth World Cup and will appear in his ninth World Cup semi-final. However, it's been a few years since his last victory, coming in 2019 at Alexandra Palace.
Notably, 2024 will be the first year since 2011 that Van Gerwen has lost a televised tournament. When asked about reclaiming the title of 'King of the Palace', he was confident but practical.
“That would be good. People know the answer, but no. That is difficult. It will be a tough fight, but as long as I enjoy fighting and believe in my abilities, the king will come back.”
Thursday night schedule
The semi-final match will start at 7:30 p.m. It would be a thrilling conclusion to the penultimate round of the World Darts Championship as Van Gerwen took on Littler before Bunting.
Michael van Gerwen and Chris Dobey
Luke Littler and Stephen Bunting
The Luke Littler fan base has a few familiar faces tonight… ☢️ pic.twitter.com/3ZM4hkEdRi
— PDC Sticks (@OfficialPDC) January 1st 2025
How to monitor
The PDC World Championship is shown on Sky Sports in the UK.
You can watch the semi-finals on Sky Sports Darts and the Main Event from 19:30 GMT.
Estimates
Only four players remain in the tournament. Now that's a game anyone can play in Ally Pally.
In the first match of the night, Van Gavin was the favourite. The Dutchman was playing his best serve of the year, but Dobey certainly wasn't unstoppable.
If Van Gerwen can get off to a strong start, it's very difficult to imagine his challenger coming back and beating him.
For the main event, Littler will feel more pressure than ever. He was a fan favourite, but so was Bunting; The crowd will be cheering for both sides on this card.
The 17-year-old was sensational about Aspinall and looked easy in the quarters. He is favored to reach another final, but if he misses his game even slightly, Bunting will leapfrog there.