Luke Littler gets nightmare draw for World Matchplay Darts as bitter rival who squared up to him faces Luke Humphries

LUKE LITTLER will face Michael van Gerwen in the first round of the World Matchplay Darts.

The Premier League champion, 17, will take on the three-time winner in Blackpool, with the tournament getting underway on July 13.

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World champion Luke Humphries will face German Ricardo Pietreczko - who had a spat with Littler earlier this year.

Pietreczko squared up to Littler on stage after the Brit's Belgian Darts Open win in March.

The German later described Littler as "arrogant", a comment that left the world championship runner-up baffled, before Pietreczko later apologised.

Elsewhere in the draw, the highlight tie of the round of 32 sees two ex-world champions come up against one another in Michael Smith and Gary Anderson.

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Nathan Aspinall, the reigning Matchplay champion, has been drawn against Luke Woodhouse.

And Aspinall, a good friend of Littler, admitted he was happy not to be paired with the teenage prodigy.

He said: ";I’m glad I avoided Luke, definitely.

"I could have drawn Gary [Anderson] or Luke. It’s not Littler who I thought I was going to get!

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"Some brutal draws though. Oh my God MVG v Luke. For me Gary v Mike’s probably a better one. The history them two have got."

Aspinall then went on to add: "I think the reason the players love the event so much, it’s so iconic with what Phil [Taylor] achieved there. 

"It’s the die-hard darts fans who turn up. There’s no messing around, you are given the best of order. 

"They love my Mr Brightside. The walk-on at Blackpool is one of the best moments of my life. It’s just a special venue. 

"It’s going to be tough to defend it. There’s a few issues. I’m not 100 per cent fit. 

"I wouldn’t play in it if I didn’t think I could win it. I believe I can win back-to-back. It’s going to be tougher than last year because of the situation I am in."

Meanwhile, Littler is gunning for a SEVENTH tournament of 2024 as he continues his breathtaking first season on the PDC Tour.

And he appears to be ready to go against Van Gerwen after sharing the draw on his Instagram story.

He posted a meme of a man eating popcorn, before a pair of emojis winking and smiling.

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