"If I was in Luke's shoes, I would keep quiet" - Phil Taylor warns Littler against taunting Michael van Gerwen ahead of World Matchplay showdown

In a tie worthy of being the final of any tournament, Michael van Gerwen and Luke Littler will go head to head in the first round of the 2024 World Matchplay at the Winter Gardens on Monday evening.

Ahead of the showdown, Littler has wasted little time getting the mind games started, taunting van Gerwen via social media. Littler took to social media to bravely list the locations where he has triumphed over van Gerwen in the past, including a check-mark emoji next to each one and urging his supporters to "Get your popcorn ready, it's going to be sick."

According to Phil Taylor, a master of darting mind games and a 16 time World Matchplay champion, Littler might be best served to cool the taunting of van Gerwen ahead of their Winter Gardens showdown however.

"I'd love to see Luke do well, and his first round game with Michael is worthy of the final. But young Luke is winding him up on social media about all the places where he's beaten Van Gerwen in the past - and that might make him angry," the greatest of all time explains in quotes collected by the Daily Express. "If I was in Luke's shoes, I would keep quiet and let him think about it, let him do the worrying. With Michael, if you poke the bear he might get angry. Michael has won the World Matchplay three times already, and there's no doubt there are players who want to bring Luke down a peg or two."

"Rivalry is great for darts because it sells tickets and it makes viewers tune in on Sky, like people wanted to watch Benn and Eubank fight, but the kid has got to be careful," Taylor concludes. "Don't get carried away, go up there and do your job, take home the prize money, pay the taxman his share and enjoy it."