Will MVG fail against Luke Littler?

Luke Littler is the new star in the darts sky. The youngster has been causing a sensation since his runner-up finish at the 2024 World Darts Championship. This year’s results show that his performances at the Ally Pally were not just snapshots. “The Nuke” has caused a sensation so far and has already won the Premier League 2024.

The young Englishman is also one of the favourites for the title at the 2024 World Matchplay. However, the tournament opener is a tough one: Luke Littler will face Michael van Gerwen. According to the bookmakers with a German license, “MVG” is the underdog. Our Michael van Gerwen vs Luke Littler betting tip does not rule out a win for the Dutchman

In his current professional career, van Gerwen has already won the tournament in Blackpool three times. The odds above the 2.00 mark for the first round pairing against Luke Littler are therefore all the more surprising. In the last two Head-2-Heads, betting on “MVG” paid off

If you’re leaning towards a prediction on the Dutchman in Michael van Gerwen vs. Luke Littler this time, you can also use the bonus promotion at Oddset. There are currently odds of up to 2.30 for a win for “MVG”!

Michael van Gerwen – Statistics & current form

Michael van Gerwen has had a mixed season so far. The Dutchman has not been able to gain a foothold either at the Majors or on the European Tour. One partial success was reaching the final of the Masters 2024 at the start of the year. Since then, the three-time world champion has had to contend with a number of setbacks.

Now the World Matchplay 2024 is starting and it is the next chance for “MVG” to get back on the road to success. Van Gerwen has already triumphed three times in Blackpool in his current career. The last time was in 2022, when the Dutchman beat Gerwyn Price 18:14 in the final.

In the following year, however, “MVG” was eliminated in the first round. He lost 7:10 to a player like Brendan Dolan in the tournament opener of the 2023 Matchplay. This year, the World Matchplay starts with a hammer draw: “MVG” will face the up-and-coming youngster Luke Littler in the first round

Will the next win come against Luke Littler?

In their last two encounters, both as part of Premier League 2024, Michael van Gerwen prevailed against Luke Littler. The last time was in May, when “MVG” celebrated a 6:1 win over the Englishman in the best-of-11. However, it should be noted that the world number two benefited from his opponent’s low average (86.89).

How the three-time world champion will perform this time against Luke Littler is difficult to assess in his current form. “MVG” has lost two of his last three matches. One of those two defeats came at the Polish Masters 2024. After eliminating Krcmar 6-0 and Sedlacek 6-1, the 35-year-old suffered a 7-2 defeat to Rob Cross in the semi-finals.

Before the tournament in Blackpool, however, there was a short break in play for “MVG” in the singles. Since losing to Ryan Searle (3:6) at the European Darts Open, the Dutchman has only played in the World Cup of Darts. If you still want to bet on Van Gerwen vs. Littler, you can also use a free bet with the bookmakers

Luke Littler – Statistics & current form

Luke Littler is starting the World Matchplay 2024 with a broad chest. The youngster continues to cause a sensation this year and, following his triumph in the Premier League 2024, also won the Polish Masters 2024. This gave “The Nuke” another boost of confidence in the run-up to the World Matchplay.

In the Players Championship, he suffered surprising defeats against players such as Robert Grundy (5:6) and James Hurrell (3:6) on the last two match days. However, the results should not be overrated in view of the tournament opener in Blackpool.

Monday evening will be the youngster’s tournament debut at the Winter Gardens. In previous years, Luke Littler was not represented at the prestigious tournament in Blackpool. If you fancy the young Englishman to start the tournament successfully, you can currently pick up odds of up to 1.60 with the best bookmakers for a Van Gerwen vs Littler bet on “The Nuke”

Does Littler win the Head-2-head against van Gerwen?

This will be the tenth match between the two players this year. Luke Littler has already won four of the nine encounters. In view of his recent form on the tour, the bookmakers’ role as favorite is understandable. This year, Luke Littler has already won the Belgian Darts Open, the Austrian Darts Open and the Premier League 2024.

The youngster also celebrated two triumphs at the Bahrain Darts Masters and the Poland Darts Masters. If “The Nuke” builds on his performances so far this year, the runner-up can also be expected to do well in the match play. However, the first round duel against “MVG” is a tough one.

A lot of 180s are to be expected in the best-of-19. Bets on the number of 180s can also be placed in the Betano sports betting app. If “The Nuke” hits the maximum at least six times, there are prices of 1.65!

Michael van Gerwen – Luke Littler head-to-head comparison / H2H result

This is the tenth time the two players have met. Michael van Gerwen won five of the previous nine encounters. Including the last two matches. The Dutchman prevailed against Luke Littler in the Premier League with scores of 6:3 and 6:1. Now “MVG” is aiming for the next victory and wants to triumph against the youngster for the third time in a row.

It would also be a real relief for the Dutchman. Last year, “MVG” had to bow out in the first round of the 2023 Matchplay

Michael van Gerwen – Luke Littler tip

It is more than surprising that Michael van Gerwen goes into the first round of the 2024 World Matchplay as a comparatively clear underdog. The Dutchman has far more experience on the big stage than Luke Littler and still has the necessary quality in his game. “MVG” has already won the World Matchplay three times in his career. Luke Littler, on the other hand, is making his debut in Blackpool.

The youngster recently had to cope with severe setbacks at the Players Championship. Although the results should not be overrated, “The Nuke” is not in good shape, at least statistically speaking. What’s more, Luke Littler has lost his last two matches against Michael van Gerwen

We are therefore leaning towards a “surprise” and are placing our Michael van Gerwen vs Luke Littler betting tip on the Dutchman. If “MVG” is successful, there are betting odds of up to 2.50. We are betting five units on this. Alternatively, betting on a match with many 180s is also recommended. The betting option on the number of maximums is also available at Betano.