2021 PDC World Darts Championship schedule: Tuesday evening session including Chisnall and Van Gerwen

Dave Chisnall and Danny Noppert will end the PDC World Darts Championship third round, before Michael van Gerwen and a captivating European clash get the Last 16 started.

First up is a chance for Danny Noppert to get his World Darts Championship started in earnest. It's rare for a victory to actually cause a drop in confidence, but the nature of that juddering, quality-bereft scrap with Cameron Carolissen might have Noppie a bit worried.

Darts is not a forgiving sport; Noppert has to improve immediately to have a chance against Dave Chisnall, who for the most part looked decent in his win over Keegan Brown. Chizzy has more to give, particularly at the Worlds, where past chances to go far have come and gone. Dimitri van den Bergh is a big tie awaiting the winner of this one.

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Peter Wright won't retain his PDC World Darts Championship title, and it's all thanks to Gabriel Clemens. Snakebite's the second reigning champion the German Giant has dumped out of a major this year (Rob Cross having lost to him in the World Matchplay). In both games so far, Clemens has shown a grit and ruthlessness that has seen him grab chances that have previously been missed.

It's much the same story for Krzysztof Ratajski, who has won seven sets and not dropped a single one thus far. Ryan Joyce and Simon Whitlock are no mugs, either. The Polish Eagle has been out of contention in some legs, but was always there for the ones that really matter. And yet you feel there's a lot more to come from both. One of the pair is about to garner a first World Championship quarter-final place, and it's hard to predict who it'll be.

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It's probably easier to predict the winner of the second fourth round game - not that it means the prediction will be right, of course. Michael van Gerwen generally wins against Joe Cullen, though it's worth remembering that the last time they met on a stage, it was Cullen who took the International Darts Open title.

Cullen has to recover from a draining seven-set classic against Jonny Clayton to play a man who appears unplayable. Ryan Murray and Ricky Evans barely put a foot wrong, and yet claimed a mere set between them. Van Gerwen clearly fancies a fourth world title, and is producing the consistent excellence needed to get it. But Cullen can think back to that remarkable tops-tops to close out a match-winning 100 win against Clayton, and take a massive dose of confidence from it.

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2021 PDC World Darts Championship schedule

Tuesday December 29

Evening Session (18:00 GMT)

Dave Chisnall v Danny Noppert (R3)

Gabriel Clemens v Krzysztof Ratajski (Last 16)

Michael van Gerwen v Joe Cullen (Last 16)