The Masters 2019 schedule: Saturday 2 February

PDC world champion Michael van Gerwen is safely into the Sunday showdown. So too are Mensur Suljovic, Dave Chisnall and Stephen Bunting. Eight more stars, including five major winners, are ready to join them. The first tie on Saturday evening is bound to be an interesting one. Gerwyn Price and James Wade are the two biggest pantomime villains in PDC darts right now. So who wins the DRA Derby? Neither have a particularly great World Championship performance to build on. Price is, by hook or by crook, a major winner. But Wade's late season form got him to the Masters, and gives him plenty of hope. After an opening day of squandered doubles, this pair's ability to strike tops and tens respectively will make ruthlessness the order of the day. Rob Cross plays for the first time since losing the albatross of the world title from around his neck. Not that being a world champion is a bad thing - but Voltage did admit that his life was turned upside down in 2018. A more relaxed and focused Cross starts has Masters campaign against Joe Cullen. The Rockstar is the final debutant to line up at the Arena: MK. Darren Webster lost, and so too did Jonny Clayton. It's up to the Bradford man to keep the rookie interest alive. Depending on who you ask, Michael Smith either had a fantastic 2018 season or a very frustrating one. Reaching three big stage finals - including the biggest of them all - and winning three events is a definite step forward. But the Premier League, World Series Finals and World Championship titles all eluded him. Winning the Masters would be a massive statement of intent. So too would Ian White doing well on the big stage; a proven dynamo on the floor, the Diamond really needs to shine where the big bucks lie. The evening ends with the party getting started. Peter Wright's back in all his luminescent, baffling glory. And, surprise surprise, he's rocking brand new equipment. Snakebite goes head to head with Adrian Lewis, who is back in the fold after a one-year hiatus. It has been a full three years since we saw Jackpot in a big stage final. He's just three wins away from doing it here. to check out the tournament centre for the Masters.

19:10 Gerwyn Price v James Wade 20:10 Rob Cross v Joe Cullen 21:10 Michael Smith v Ian White 22:10 Peter Wright v Adrian Lewis