MICHAEL VAN GERWEN will begin his bid to win a third successive Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters title against Raymond van Barneveld on Thursday, as World Champion Gary Anderson meets James Wade on his World Series of Darts debut.
World number one van Gerwen has lifted the specially-made 'Dallah' trophy as the Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters winner for the past two years of the tournament, which is held in the unique outdoor arena at the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium.
The Dutchman will begin his bid to complete a hat-trick of victories when he meets van Barneveld in a repeat of the 2013 final.
The pair also met last Thursday in the semi-finals of the Betway Premier League in London, with the world number one taking victory in a high-quality clash - something he predicts for their latest meeting in Dubai.
"We've played many times before so we know what to expect and it will be a nice game for both of us and also for the crowd," said van Gerwen. "I've loved coming to Dubai in the last two years and hopefully I can win this wonderful trophy again.
"I'm very proud to be the reigning champion and I don't want to give up this title easily, so I'll be giving it everything."
World Champion Gary Anderson, who was also crowned as the Premier League champion last Thursday, will make his first appearance in the PDC's World Series of Darts when he competes in Dubai.
The Scottish superstar has drawn left-hander James Wade for their quarter-final, and after visiting the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium for the first time on Wednesday said: "I'm really excited and looking forward to it.
"It's going to be a hard game because James has had a great 12 months and is back playing how we all know he can, which is great to see - but there's so much talent across the board in this tournament that it will be a fantastic event."
Two-time World Champion Adrian Lewis faces former Lakeside Champion Stephen Bunting - the runner-up in his only previous World Series of Darts event in Sydney last August - in the opening quarter-final.
The opening night's other contest will see Phil Taylor, the 16-time World Champion, meet Peter Wright for the second successive year in Dubai.
Taylor, though, has yet to win a game in the two previous years of the Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters but said: "I'm so determined to win this tournament because I've not had much luck so far in Dubai, and I can't wait.
"I love coming out to Dubai and for me it's up there as one of the greatest places in the world, so to have a tournament like this here is great for us.
"I'll be giving it a good go because I've been playing well and doing everything properly in practice, and everything's going to plan so far."
The tournament will also offer a special prize for the first player to achieve a nine-dart finish, with partner sponsors SIXT UAE presenting an all-new Mercedes-Benz CLA 250 car should a perfect leg be landed.
Tickets for the Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters are still available, with General Admission tickets and VIP Hospitality tickets on sale. For further information visit www.dubai-darts.com/tickets , and in person on the day at The Irish Village.
Worldwide television coverage of the tournament will include live broadcasts on Dubai Sports TV and OSN, as well as worldwide through the PDC's series of broadcast parters:
Dubai Sports TV
OSN - Middle East & North Africa
ITV4 - UK (Delayed)
Setanta - Ireland
Fox Sports - Australia
Sky - New Zealand
RTL7 - Netherlands
Fox Asia
www.LIVEPDC.TV for International Pass Subscribers outside of UK, Ireland & Netherlands.
Dubai Duty Free Darts Masters
Draw Bracket
Michael van Gerwen (1) v Raymond van Barneveld
Adrian Lewis (4) v Stephen Bunting
Phil Taylor (2) v Peter Wright
Gary Anderson (3) v James Wade
Schedule of Play
Thursday May 28 (8pm local time)
Quarter-Finals
Adrian Lewis v Stephen Bunting
Gary Anderson v James Wade
Phil Taylor v Peter Wright
Michael van Gerwen v Raymond van Barneveld
Best of 19 legs
Friday May 29 (8pm local time)
Semi-Finals
Taylor/Wright v Anderson/Wade
van Gerwen/van Barneveld v Lewis/Bunting
Best of 21 legs
Final
Best of 21 legs