Schedule Friday night at European Championship Darts 2024 including Humphries-Aspinall and Littler in action

On Friday night, the final eight matches from the first round of the 2024 European Darts Championship will be played. The defending champion and the two finalists of the World Darts Championship will take the stage in the Westfalenhallen.

It will be the seventeenth time the European Darts Championship has been held. Peter Wright crowned himself European champion for the second time in 2023 by defeating James Wade in the final. Van Gerwen and Phil Taylor are the record champions at the European Darts Championship with both winning four titles.

The match between Danny Noppert and Joe Cullen is one where the excitement is palpable. Noppert leads 4-3 in the head-to-head, indicating that both players are very evenly matched. However, they have never played each other on television. For Noppert, the TV season so far has been disappointing, with early exits at major tournaments such as the World Cup, the World Matchplay and the World Grand Prix. Joe Cullen, on the other hand, made it to the quarterfinals at the World Grand Prix and seems to be slowly returning to form. This promises to be a match in which the difference will be small, with chances for both players to advance to the next round.

Clayton leads comfortably 10-6 in the head-to-head and therefore appears to be a slight favorite. Dobey, after his strong performance at the World Championship, where he reached the quarterfinals, has not yet been able to push through at the other major tournaments this year. However, his success on the Players Championship circuit, where he won three titles, shows he is in good shape.

Clayton has won one Players Championship title and made it to a Euro Tour final. Clayton is known for his solid play on big stages, while Dobey will have a chance to take his game to the next level on television. It promises to be an interesting match, with both players looking to prove they have more up their sleeves than they have shown in recent months.

This duel between Rob Cross and James Wade is a showdown between two experienced players who have both been in the final of the European Darts Championship three times. Cross won two of those finals, while Wade won one. Wade has had a strong season on television, with a semifinal at the World Matchplay and a quarterfinal at the World Grand Prix. Cross, on the other hand, has made at least the quarterfinals at all major tournaments in 2024 and even won a Euro Tour title to his name. In the meetings between them, Wade leads 12-10, indicating that it could be a very evenly matched match. Both players have the experience and ability to go far in this tournament, and this match could be one of the highlights of the first round.

Damon Heta will take on Ricardo Pietreczko in a duel in which Heta holds a slight lead at 2-1 in the matches between them. Heta has had a fine season, with a semifinal at the UK Open and two Players Championship titles. Pietreczko got off to a rough start to the season, but has recovered recently with a semifinal at the Flanders Darts Trophy. It will be interesting to see if Pietreczko can continue his recent form in this tournament. Heta has the experience and consistency on his side, but Pietreczko has shown the ability to surprise big players. This match will depend on who can best handle the pressure and make the most of his chances.

Defending champion Peter Wright begins his tournament against Jermaine Wattimena, a player who has struggled to win from Wright in the past. In their clashes, Wright leads by an impressive 17-4, making him the favorite in this duel. Wright, however, has yet to reach the quarterfinals at a major ranking tournament in 2024. Wattimena is making a fine impression this season, with three quarterfinals on the Euro Tour, and will be determined to get his first major result at a televised tournament. Although Wright is the favorite based on previous encounters, Wattimena may be able to take advantage of Wright's recent inconsistency.

In this duel, 17-year-old Luke Littler makes his debut at the European Darts Championship, while Andrew Gilding already has a bit more experience on this stage. Littler has had an excellent season, with two final victories on the Euro Tour and strong performances in several television tournaments, although they did not count toward the world rankings. Gilding, who lost to Littler at the last World Cup, has so far not made much of an impression at the European Darts Championship, with two first-round defeats in recent years. It will take Gilding a top performance to knock out one of the top favorites for the European Championship title.

One of the most intriguing matches of the first round is the one between Luke Humphries and Nathan Aspinall. Humphries has had a phenomenal season, winning titles at the World Matchplay and the World Cup of Darts after capturing the world title in January. He also won the Czech Darts Open just last weekend, showing that he is in top form. Aspinall, on the other hand, has struggled in 2024, partly because of injury. He had to skip six Euro Tour tournaments and eventually finished 31st on the Euro Tour rankings. In the clashes between them, Humphries leads 8-7, winning five of the eight encounters this year. Humphries seems the favorite on paper, but Aspinall is a fighter who, if he finds his form, is capable of beating any player.

The first round concludes with an interesting duel between Josh Rock and Mike De Decker. The Belgian is in excellent form, as evidenced by his sensational title at the World Grand Prix. Added to that was a quarterfinal finish at last weekend's Czech Darts Open. Josh Rock has won one Euro Tour tournament this year, but dropped out early at four of the five major tournaments. In the head-to-head, De Decker leads 2-1. Rock, however, has shown he can beat anyone on his day, and will be determined to make a deep run at this tournament.

The tournament will be broadcast fully live in the UK on ITV. The daily evening sessions are at 7 p.m., while the afternoon sessions start at 12:45 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

The first round will be completed on Thursday, Oct. 24, and Friday, Oct. 25. The 16 winners of the first round will compete for a spot among the final eight on Saturday, Oct. 26. The quarterfinals will be on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 27, followed by the semifinals and finals in the evening.

Compared to 2023, the prize fund has been increased by £100,000. The amount for the winner and runner-up has remained the same, so the extra money flows to the players who do not make it to the final.

All 32 participants are guaranteed a starting premium of 7,500 pounds, which is 25 percent more than last year. This amount eventually rises to a sum of 120,000 for the winner of the 2024 European Darts Championship.

First round - Best of 11 legs

Second round - Best of 19 legs

Quarterfinals - Best of 19 legs

Semifinals - Best of 21 legs

Final - Best of 21 legs

Danny Noppert v Joe Cullen

Chris Dobey v Jonny Clayton

Rob Cross v James Wade

Ricardo Pietreczko v Damon Heta

Peter Wright v Jermaine Wattimena

Luke Littler v Andrew Gilding

Luke Humphries v Nathan Aspinall

Josh Rock v Mike De Decker