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PDC World Darts Championship final tips: Littler to fall at final hurdle
Joe Champion’s PDC World Darts Championship final tips include a nine-dart finish in the match between Luke Humphries and Luke Littler
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The 2024 PDC World Darts Championship heads for what promises to be a thrilling conclusion at Alexandra Palace this evening as 16-year-old sensation Luke Littler takes on red-hot Luke Humphries for the most coveted prize in the sport.
Humphries, the pre-tournament favourite having won the World Grand Prix, the Grand Slam and the Players Championship finals in recent months, was always expected to go deep in the tournament and he is 4/6 favourite to lift the trophy, with Littler 6/5 to complete a fairytale finish.
Luke Humphries vs Luke Littler tips
- Luke Humphries to win and hit most 180s @ 11/10 with Paddy Power
- Correct score – Luke Humphries to win 7-5 @ 13/2 with Paddy Power
- A nine-dart finish in the match @ 17/2 with Paddy Power
Odds correct at time of publishing and subject to change.
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Humphries can make experience tell
Luke Littler has looked nerveless in reaching the final of the World Championship and, after a slightly sluggish start against Rob Cross in the semi-final, he quickly found top gear to dispatch the 2018 champion by a 6-2 scoreline.
Cross, who averaged 102.77 and banged in ten 180s, did not play badly but he could not live with ‘the Nuke’, who has taken the Alexandra Palace stage by storm and is well worth his spot in the final.
However, a clash with Humphries – a winner of three PDC premier events in 2023 and the new world No 1 after making the final – is another step up for the Warrington tyro.
‘Cool Hand’ survived back-to-back scares to reach the quarter-finals, breaking his darts prior to a 4-3 win over Ricardo Pietreczko in round three, then going to a sudden-death leg to beat Joe Cullen.
But he has been in magnificent form at the business end, beating Dave Chisnall 5-1 then turning up the heat to hammer Scott Williams 6-0 in the semi-finals.
Williams wasn’t at his best on Tuesday but Humphries was awesome, throwing 14 maximums, averaging 108.74 and reeling off six 100-plus checkouts.
For all Littler’s brilliance, Humphries is still the man to beat so take him to win the match and hit the most 180s.
Both of these men have hammered the treble-20 bed in relentless fashion in this tournament but Humphries’ scoring has only improved as the pressure has ramped up and he could produce something special in the final.
Tip: Luke Humphries to win and hit most 180s @ 11/10 with Paddy Power
Tungsten tussle set to be a long one
Six of the previous seven PDC World Championship finals have been decided by a margin of three or more sets – Peter Wright’s 7-5 victory over Michael Smith in 2022 being the exception – but a close contest could be in store when the two Lukes do battle.
Both Humphries and Littler enjoyed fairly serene progress in the semi-finals but that was a consequence of how well they both played and, if the dynamic duo arrive on the Ally Pally oche operating at a similar level, this could turn into a lengthy battle.
Humphries has demonstrated his appetite for a scrap with come-from-behind wins over Pietreczko and Cullen so he’s unlikely to shirk the challenge should Littler claim the early lead, while the Nuke’s fearless nature should help to keep him in the game.
With Humphries expected to edge the match overall, the best option could be to take Cool Hand to triumph by a narrow 7-5 scoreline.
Tip: Correct score – Luke Humphries to win 7-5 @ 13/2 with Paddy Power
Nine-darter worth a shot
Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith played out the most famous leg in darting history on the Alexandra Palace stage a year ago as the Dutchman missed double-12 for a nine-dart finish only for his opponent to nail one on his next visit to the oche.
A leg of the same stature would be remarkable but there is a chance that the final could feature the first nine-darter of the 2024 tournament.
Humphries, who was ironically on the receiving end of the most recent televised nine-dart finish in his Players Championship Finals clash with Van Gerwen, posted three nine-darters in 2023, two in floor events and one in the Hungarian Darts Trophy final.
Given Littler’s scoring prowess, it’s only a matter of time until he throws nine perfect darts, too, and the odds arguably underestimate the chances of that happening tonight.
Tip: A nine-dart finish in the match @ 17/2 with Paddy Power
Odds are correct at the time of publication and subject to change.