The pressure is on for Luke Littler ahead of his return to the PDC World Darts Championship quarter-finals on New Year’s Day after scraping through his last match
Teenage superstar Luke Littler is back in action against Nathan Aspinall in the quarter-finals of the PDC World Darts Championship on New Year’s Day.
The two close colleagues face off as the action resumes with a stacked quarter-final schedule on the first day of January. Littler and Aspinall are represented by the same management company and regularly travel to tournaments together, not to mention their hometowns are only 40 minutes apart.
But all ties will be put to one side on Wednesday as both Premier League players look to reach the last four at Alexandra Palace. Five years have passed since ‘The Asp’ last reached the semi-finals of the World Darts Championship, while 17-year-old Littler famously made it all the way to the final in last year’s debut.
Sparks are set to fly as eight in-form stars suit up and the business end of the tournament gets underway. And Mirror Sport provides all the essential details you’ll need to catch ‘The Nuke’ back in action.
When does Luke Littler play?
A lunchtime start on Wednesday will see Chris Dobey face Gerwyn Price in the opening match of the day at 12.40pm local time, with Michael van Gerwen and Callan Rydz set to collide shortly after. But Littler won’t be on stage until the evening session, which gets underway with a clash between Peter Wright and Stephen Bunting at 7.10pm.
The Nuke – who only just beat Ryan Joyce 4-3 on Monday – isn’t due to make his walk until the last quarter-final of the day at around 8.40pm. However, that start time could be pushed back if the matchup between Wright and Bunting is drawn out.
How to watch Luke Littler vs Nathan Aspinall?
UK fans can tune into Littler’s match on Sky Sports Darts from 7pm, either directly through the broadcaster or via NOW TV. Sky Sports Main Event will also broadcast the evening session from 7.30pm following coverage of the Championship showdown between Hull City and Middlesbrough.
Who is Nathan Aspinall?
A semi-final run at The Masters in February was a 2024 highlight for Aspinall, while he also made it the fifth round of the UK Open. It was all the way back in 2019 that the Stockport native took the top prize and his maiden major in Minehead, though he’s since added the World Matchplay crown to his collection in 2023.
The Asp will be more educated on Littler’s play than most given their usually in close proximity with one another come tournament time. He has beaten Leonard Gates, Andrew Gilding and Ricardo Pietreczko to reach this stage of the competition, defeating the latter of those in straight sets in the last-16.
And he appeared in bullish mood after victory over Pietreczko “You underestimate me, all of you,” he said after thumping ‘Pikachu’ 4-0 in the last 16. “I never get any respect, I’m not going to go all Joe Cullen here [and storm out of the press conference]. But I always get written off.
“Nobody ever talks about me. I’m a two-time major champion, a fantastic darts player. I come back fighting and keep proving people wrong time and time again. It’s up to me to go up on that stage and prove you lot wrong, who write me off.”
Littler vs Aspinall odds
Despite showing some shaky signs in his latest win over Joyce, Littler remains a major 1/7 favourite to get the better of Aspinall. Meanwhile, his stablemate is a lofty 9/2 to make a return to the World Darts Championship semi-finals.
Those seeking more bang for their buck may be interested in backing Littler to win, hit the most maximums and record the highest checkout at odds of 8/11. A bet on Aspinall to achieve the same match treble, meanwhile, returns a healthy-looking 50/1.
Odds are provided by Paddy Power and are subject to change.
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