Luke Littler has revealed the backstage mind games that Michael van Gerwen plays ahead of their Premier League Darts matches, with the pair potentially set to meet in tonight's semi-finals in Berlin.
The teenage sensation has accused the Dutch star of "trying to get in his head" before they take to the oche.
Players must throw darts at a practice board to determine who goes first in a match, with Littler claiming he consistently outperforms Van Gerwen in this pre-match ritual.
Speaking on the Stick to Football podcast, Littler detailed the ritual: "Before every tournament, before we go on stage, we throw for nearest bull to see who goes first."
Michael van Gerwen and Luke Littler shared a smile after their Premier League clashGetty"Every time I'll go over to Michael van Gerwen, and he'll try to get in my head about hitting the bullseye first but always get it before he does!"
Littler later elaborated: "He always asks, 'You want 3? You want 6 darts?'. I go, 'We'll have 9, Michael'. Because that's what we have every time. And I always win."
The 18-year-old offered further insight into the practice room dynamics on the PDC Tour.
"I travel to tournaments with Chris Dobey and Nathan Aspinall as we've got the same management team," Littler said.
"With the other players like Michael van Gerwen or Luke Humphries, we'll talk in the practice room and have banter to try and get into each other's heads."
When Gary Neville suggested Van Gerwen hadn't looked happy about Littler's nine-darter in Cardiff two weeks ago, the teenager laughed: "That's Michael for you."
The Premier League Darts Night Nine in Berlin could see Littler and Van Gerwen renew their rivalry in the semi-finals if they win their respective quarter-final matches.
Littler faces Chris Dobey in the opening round, while Van Gerwen takes on Gerwyn Price.
Luke Littler and Michael van Gerwen appear to have a friendly rivalry
PAThe pair last met in the Premier League a fortnight ago in Cardiff when Littler beat the Dutchman 6-4 in the Night Seven final.
That match featured a spectacular nine-darter from Littler, which he completed via two 180s followed by T20, T17 and D15.
Littler currently tops the Premier League standings with 28 points after claiming his fourth nightly win in Newcastle last week.
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Luke Littler is back in action on ThursdayReutersThe world champion thrashed Stephen Bunting 6-0 before defeating Rob Cross and Luke Humphries in the final.
"I never really say I'm the best in the world, but I am performing at a really good level at the moment," Littler said.
"I'm sitting comfortably at the top of the table now, so hopefully I should be even more settled going into the next few weeks."
