"Of course I'm the favorite": Michael van Gerwen doesn't see himself as outsider in Littler PDC World Darts Championship Final

Michael van Gerwen gets to hunt for his fourth world title tonight. The 35-year-old Dutchman beat Chris Dobey 6-1 in the semifinals and will meet Luke Littler in the PDC World Darts Championship finale.

Van Gerwen couldn't resist goofing off immediately afterward. "We're all here for a reason, aren't we? And no nattering, eh, guys. We're just going to do it tomorrow (Friday) for our little country. By the way, I have such a pain in my back...from carrying the country on my shoulders," said a smiling Van Gerwen to De Telegraaf.

'Mighty Mike' was very elated anyway, when he hit 158 at the beginning of the sixth set he yelled an expletive loudly it seemed. "Lip readers never have that much trouble getting the right thing out of me, but I have no secrets either," he commented. "At times it was sloppy, I was not comfortable, but at times I was also very superior. That's how you win matches. Today I showed that from any position I am able to get a comfortable win.

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"At one point I could smell that final..." Van Gerwen muses about the good feeling that came over him on that stage: "I proved everyone wrong, invested a lot in myself and had to shed tears for this. That makes this all the more beautiful and I'm looking forward to making the finals even more. But we haven't won a damn thing yet.''

"As long as I'm able to win my own battles, it just looks really good. If things slow down a little bit, I know how to react quickly again by pinning a high finish or putting good scores just in the important moments.''

Michael van Gerwen in action at the World Championship

Favorite

Van Gerwen will take on Littler in the final. Since the latter made his debut on the international stage, it stands 6-6 in the encounters between them. "But of course I'm the favorite, based on what I've shown in the past and also in the last matches," Van Gerwen said. "But: none of that matters. I have to show it in that final. Because that one could be very long. I'm still far away from that trophy.

"With Littler, I know where I stand. I am up against a player with incredible qualities, but he also knows who he is up against. This is a very nice match for the people. I know better than anyone that this boy shows things that people take their hat off to. Me too, quite simply. But he is also often vulnerable and at those moments I have to step in. I know I have it in me, especially at this moment. I have to show that.

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"And that after my, according to many the worst year of my career," Van Gerwen laughed. "Whether this trophy would be even nicer for me than in the times when I beat up everyone? Maybe so, it would mean a lot in any case. It would be an important moment in my life. But you should never lose sight of the end goal. We're nowhere yet.''

Satisfied

"I get asked when I would be satisfied ... It depends," continued 'Mighty Mike'. "If I get caught in a fantastic final, that may be so. But as long as this train keeps rolling along, of course I like it much better.''

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