Luke Littler is relishing the chance to tackle Stephen Bunting and his 'Bunting Army' in their semi-final at Alexandra Palace on Thursday.
Littler continued his bid for the World Darts Championship title with an emphatic 5-2 victory over Nathan Aspinall, after Bunting saw off Peter Wright by the same margin.
Both players will be well supported by the Ally Pally crowd, with Bunting's 'Titanium' track and Littler's 'Greenlight' track generating huge noise ahead of every game, with the favorite ' a fully conscious competition that not all the people will support his claim. to reach the second Worlds final.
“They (the crowd) have been good to me tonight,” Littler said Sky Sports after beating Aspinall. “They've been good to Stephen too.
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Laughing as Littler and Aspinall joke after missing out on nine darters in their quarter-finals
“They can pick and choose whoever they want. I see a lot of Nuke shirts here, so I think I've gotten better!”
With Luke Humphries suffering a shock early exit, Littler now heads into the semi-finals as favourites- Michael van Gerwen faces Chris Dobey in the semi-finals another finalist – but he knows anything can happen on the Ally Pally stage.
But the 17-year-old player feels how good he has been throughout the tournament and hopes to repeat that on Thursday night to book his place in the final again.
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Littler says he plays with full confidence and freedom
“Maybe that's what everyone thinks, but anything can happen on the day, it's the World Championship semi-finals,” Littler said.
“Obviously Michael has been there a few times, Chris is in his first, I'm in my second, and I know Bunting who I think is in the first or second so it will be a good night.
“I felt the best I have in this tournament so far, so I hope I can rally again and come back again and maybe it's the same feeling ' there.
“We all know the expectations and it's very different from last year, but tonight I felt like the biggest and hopefully I can regroup and feel like I did on that stage tomorrow (Thursday).
“I would probably just say I felt different in the Ryan Meikle game, and then I came through against Ian White, obviously the 3-1 lead was crucial against Ian, and then the tough test against Ryan, I think that's what I needed, and then tonight I just settled down.”
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Stephen Bunting credits training partner Luke Humphries with his improved form to reach the semi-finals after beating Peter Wright
Bunting wants more from the Ally Pally crowd
While Littler is ready for his opponent to blow the fans away when they face each other in the semi-final, Bunting himself dealt with Wright's growing support as he fought back in the quarter finals.
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Watch as Bunting's son cheers his father on to a quarter-final win over Wright
At the end of his match, Bunting applauded the crowd but asked for more.
“Listen (to the crowd) in the first four sets you weren't real but you have to do better,” Bunting told Sky Sports.
“I thought to myself just try to refocus. Every game I've just focused on that opponent. The crowd, unbelievable again.
“Let's go Bunting mind!”
What next?
Three-time world champion Van Gerwen headlines the first of Thursday's matches against Dobey, looking to reach the final for the first time, before pre-tournament favorite Littler , faced Bunting in the other semi-final.
The World Darts Championship kicks off a massive 2025 line-up of live action on Sky Sports, including the Premier League, World Matchplay, World Grand Prix and Grand Slam of Darts.
Littler is defending Premier League champion after beating world No.1 Humphries in last year's final – but will he go into this year's events as world champion?
Who will win the Paddy Power World Darts Championship? Watch the semi-finals and final live exclusively on Sky Sports' dedicated darts channel. Stream darts and more sports favorites with NOW.
