Football or darts World Cup for Netherlands? Van Gerwen sees minimal chance for one over the other: "Not even ten per cent of me winning the World Championship, could you imagine that?"

Michael van Gerwen took down Oskar Lukasiak on Friday at the Nordic Darts Masters to set his course into the final day of the latest World Series. Van Gerwen currently tops the standings after he won the opening title of the year in Bahrain and lost in the Saudi Arabia Final.

It wasn't MVG at his best though on Friday that is for certain but also as he pointed out himself, that can be helped perhaps by the fact that his opponent is continually struggling with what appears to be dartitis so he not only has to play him but also what he is struggling with at the Nordic Darts Masters.

"I think I felt good. But it started off every time in the first two legs. I had so many first darts sitting comfortably in the treble 20 and I couldn't follow them up. Then I had a couple of really sloppy legs afterwards. You shouldn't put yourself in that position, but that's unfortunately darts," said Van Gerwen post match.

"You also have to look at Oskar. I know Oskar quite well and I know he's got dartitis. He was struggling at some point, but it is what it is. You need to make sure you get the win over the line, and that's the only thing that matters."

Van Gerwen now plays another Swede in Viktor Tingstrom who dumped out Stephen Bunting and became one of only a few players ever from the other side of the World Series delegation to seal a win over one of the big name seeds especially in this event. He lauded the crowd but also lamented his own display.

"I think the crowd has been great. I can't complain about this crowd. They've always been fantastic and I hope I'm going to see another fantastic crowd tomorrow."

Asked if he can take anything from the game amid the frustration, he said that he was getting annoyed with himself and how his darts were landing as opposed to anything else.

"Yeah, I think I can. When I started the game, my first dart was sitting lovely in the treble 20 a couple of times and I couldn't follow it up. I was getting a bit annoyed with myself.

"At the end of the game I gave him a few chances, but if you look at my scoring power, the game was a lot better in the end. It is what it is. You always want to win the first game and then move on to tomorrow."

Asked about the Premier League final, Van Gerwen admitted he didn't even watch it and said he was in Ibiza on holiday instead so didn't care. He isn't looking back and has already set his sights on the World Matchplay.

"You know me better than that. That's already gone, that's history. Now you need to look at the next tournament.

"First you have to look at tomorrow, then next week the World Cup, and then the week after Bratislava. That's the way it is: step by step, game by game, day by day.

On the Premier League, he added: "I was in Ibiza. I didn't watch any of it. Not even a dot. I saw the result later in the evening when I was watching the news."

He brushed off questioning also about the whole Luke Littler emotion issue and said he wasn't there so he doesn't care. "I'm not there, I'm not there. Do you know what I mean? So there's nothing to worry about."

Van Gerwen also brushed off this narrative that he needs the performance with the win and that his aim has changed as a result over the years from winning in style to winning ugly if needs be.

"No, that's not true. If you know what I've been saying, I've always said throughout my whole life that the win is the most important thing.

"Of course, if you can win nicely, that's great, but getting the win over the line is always the first thing that matters. I know you want me to say something that's not there.

"Of course games are sometimes hard work. Gerwyn Price had hard work, he could maybe have lost. Stephen Bunting had hard work. That's the way our sport is.

"People try to make it a thing and try to make a story about things that aren't there. But everyone could see I was winning that game any day of the week."

He has two World Cups also to prepare for, as a fan watching Netherlands in the football edition and also as a player in the darts World Cup next week. He spoke on teaming with Van Veen for the first time and why he thinks the football side have no hope. "Of course I'm looking forward to it. I've never played with Gian before, so that's a good thing. I've never played this format with him either."

Asked if the football or darts team had a better chance, his answer said it all. "We have a much bigger chance. That's one thing for sure — 100%."

Saying he was going to watch the football, he said that they have very little chance though to win it. "Minimal. Not even ten per cent of me winning the World Championship — could you imagine that? They don't have a striker. I can't say a lot about this, but I'm not going to do it. We are not in the top five favourites, let's put it that way. But of course you want your country to do well. That's the first thing you want."