PREVIEW Sunday afternoon World Cup of Darts | England v Wales and Netherlands v Germany headlines bumper Quarter-Final line-up

At the World Cup of Darts we have now reached the quarterfinals. On Sunday afternoon, all eyes are on the derby between England and Wales as Luke Littler and Luke Humphries aim to topple Jonny Clayton and Nick Kenny.

Also we get the matter of Netherlands v Germany. Michael van Gerwen and Gian van Veen will represent the Netherlands against the Germans Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko.

The Netherlands, four-time winners of the World Cup of Darts in the past, did not have it easy in their opening match against Sweden. Van Gerwen and Van Veen had to dig deep to hold off the Dutch-born Swede Jeffrey de Graaf and Oskar Lukasiak.

Both Van Gerwen and Van Veen have been blowing hot and cold this year, and that showed again in their match with Sweden. Moments of pure class alternated with missed doubles. Against Germany, the Netherlands will likely need to be a touch sharper. Schindler is the rock for the Germans and is dragging along Pietreczko—who has been off the boil in recent months and struggling with dartitis.

The Germans also have the backing of a packed Eissporthalle in Frankfurt. Last year that support fueled a shock win over England. Can they spring another surprise against the Netherlands? A surprise indeed, because despite everything the Netherlands remain the favorites to win this tie. Van Gerwen and Van Veen are, after all, still both in the top four of the world rankings.

England are represented for the second year running by Luke Littler and Luke Humphries, still the top two in the world rankings. As mentioned, they crashed out immediately against Germany last year, but this time they did get through their opener. However, the English did not have much to spare against a strong Spain.

Wales are without Gerwyn Price this year, but with Jonny Clayton they still boast a class act. Wales beat the USA 8-5, and Clayton underlined his quality with two 141 checkouts. “The Ferret” is leading Nick Kenny by example, and given the chemistry between the two Welshmen, an upset against England cannot be ruled out.

The team that impressed most in the last 16, however, was Scotland. Gary Anderson, partnering Cameron Menzies for the first time, swept aside Norway with his teammate. It finished 8-0, talk about a statement. If Anderson and Menzies can maintain that form—they averaged around a ton—they will be favorites to beat Ireland in the quarterfinals.

Ireland, though, are also playing well. William O'Connor and Mickey Mansell cruised through the group stage and proved too strong for dark horses Poland in the last 16 with an 8-5 win. A tight contest against Scotland is certainly on the cards.

The final quarterfinal pits defending champions Northern Ireland against Latvia. Josh Rock and Daryl Gurney only just survived a clash with Belgium in the last 16. Against Latvia, however, they are overwhelming favorites to progress.