The European Tour events continue on the PDC darts circuit this weekend with the Czech Darts Open from the PVA Expo in Prague, Czech Republic.
World champion Luke Littler will be in attendance, chasing the £35,000 first prize, with the 16 first-round matches taking place on Friday.
There are eight second-round contests on Saturday, before a blockbuster Sunday comprising the third round, quarter-finals, semis and final.
Littler and Luke Humphries are the top two seeds, with World Championship runner-up Gian van Veen joining compatriot Michael van Gerwen in a star-studded competition.
Gerwyn Price has also made the trip, while Gary Anderson fancies the gig, too, so this has turned into one of the strongest European Tour events on the schedule.
Littler is 6/4 favourite as he bids to continue a remarkable campaign which has featured victories in the World Championship, World Masters, Saudi Arabia Masters, UK Open, Premier League, World Cup and World Matchplay.
Aside from the World Cup and the US Masters, this has been a disappointing campaign for Humphries, who gets a 15/2 quote for Prague glory. He won the event last year.
Van Gerwen has been given a nightmare draw and probably has to get past two talented compatriots - Dirk van Duijvenbode and Wessel Nijman - just to make the quarter-finals.
Czech Darts Open Tips Summary
Best Bet - Luke Littler to win - 6/4
Alternative Bet - Josh Rock to win and each-way - 33/1
Alternative Bet - Gary Anderson to win and each-way - 16/1
Czech Darts Open Prediction
Best Bet: Luke Littler to win - 6/4
World number one Littler is putting together an almost perfect season, dominating darts and winning every Major title, and a favourable draw has made the Nuke a dependable market leader for the Czech Darts Open.
Littler should give likely first-round opponent, Niko Springer, the respect he deserves. The German can be a power scorer, but he is vulnerable on the outer ring and has never beaten Littler, despite taking an early lead in their most recent meeting at the World Matchplay.
Expect Littler to find a way past Springer, then cruise to the semi-finals. There is a fair chance a Dutchman is waiting there - van Gerwen, Nijman and Van Duijvenbode are in the same section - but Littler would expect to defeat any of them.
Littler's greatest challenge will probably come in the final, but that match is the longest of the tournament and over 15 legs, so the Warrington warrior has plenty of time to assert his superiority.
Alternative Bet: Josh Rock to win and each-way - 33/1
Ryan Joyce or Kim Huybrechts should be comfortably outclassed by Josh Rock in the second round, then the underachieving Northern Irishman could go deep in the competition.
Rock admitted after recent World Series events that he had been letting his practice devotion slip since a strong run at the World Matchplay. Victory in the Austrian Darts Open in May was followed by a quarter-final defeat to an unbeatable Littler in the Matchplay.
Rock made the semi-finals of the UK Open in March and after flopping in the Australian Darts Masters he vowed to give himself a "kick up the backside" with regards to practice. A 6-0 success over Joe Cullen in Hungary next time out was promising, but he lost to Chris Dobey in round three.
Expect Rock to have fine-tuned his technique since Budapest and be ready to give a better account of himself in Prague, where he made the final last year. Rock appeals each-way, with Littler not a possible opponent until the final.
Alternative Bet: Gary Anderson to win and each-way - 16/1
Punters seeking a third outright wager on the Czech Darts Open should consider Gary Anderson, who is selective with his schedule and only enters events if he has a strong appetite for them. The Scottish veteran clearly fancies this mission and could do plenty of damage.
Anderson will expect to boss compatriot Cameron Menzies, his likely second-round opponent, and is capable of seeing off the likes of Price and Van Veen later in the event. Anderson remains a tough match for anyone on the circuit.
Key Tournament Stats
This will be the 12th of 15 PDC European Tour events this season
There will be a field of 48 players, with £35,000 going to the winner
Luke Humphries has won three of the last four editions
Luke Littler headlines the field
Gian van Veen, Michael van Gerwen, Jonny Clayton, Gerwyn Price & Gary Anderson are all competing
Read more darts betting tips and predictions on site.
This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
