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.
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.
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!
Here is the draw in full:
“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.
