MICHAEL VAN GERWEN has warned Luke Humphries to expect a noisy reception on Thursday in Rotterdam.
Mighty Mike, 34, is on home ground for Night 12 of the Premier League Darts and will get a hero’s welcome from the orange-clad punters.
Englishman Humphries, 29, is the “best darts player in the world”, according to Van Gerwen, but is likely to be booed and jeered by supporters at the Ahoy Arena.
The same situation that Van Gerwen sometimes gets whenever he is playing in front of English audiences.
Van Gerwen, who beat Luke Littler in the final of last week’s event in Manchester, said: “Luke has done really well for himself over the last 8-9 months.
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“I have played him so many times every year. For him also it’s a different situation.
“Now he has to deal with the crowd. Added pressure for him.
“It’s what I have had to deal with so many times over the years.
“You always knew that Luke was capable of doing what he’s doing at the moment.
“You can really see when someone has a lot of talent. When someone is a strong player. Fair play to him.
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“He likes to learn. He’s not a stupid guy, he’s a grafter. He always practises and works harder for what he wants to achieve.
“You can only admire that. People like that are good for the sport. That creates good battles and that is what people like to see.
“My biggest challenger is Humphries because he’s number one in the world.
“Of course, Luke Littler has done well and everyone is talking about him.
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“But Humphries is probably the best darts player in the world at the moment in my opinion.”
Elsewhere in the quarters, table topper Littler is up against Michael Smith.
While Rob Cross takes on Gerwyn Price and Peter Wright is drawn against Nathan Aspinall.
