MICHAEL VAN GERWEN will begin his defence of the Cash Converters Players Championship Finals against Raymond van Barneveld, while top seed Gary Anderson takes on another Dutchman, Christian Kist, at the Butlins Minehead Resort when the tournament begins on Friday.
Van Gerwen claimed last year's title in the ITV4-televised event with a thrilling comeback victory over reigning champion Phil Taylor in the final, before also going on to succeed Taylor as World Champion a month later.
The Dutch ace will enter this year's event as the number two seed after finishing second to Anderson on the 2014 PDC ProTour Order of Merit, having missed last weekend's Players Championship events in Coventry with 'flu.
He will take on 31st seed van Barneveld in the first round on Friday evening, having also met the five-time World Champion in the European Championship and The Masters in recent months.
Scottish star Anderson saw his seventh PDC ProTour win of the year on Sunday, when he edged out Peter Wright in the Players Championship final, jump him above van Gerwen to top the 2014 standings with £113,250 prize money.
Anderson will take on Holland's Christian Kist in the first round, with the former Lakeside Champion having finished 31st in the ProTour Order of Merit in his debut year on the PDC circuit.
Three-time champion Taylor will open his challenge to retain the title against Ronnie Baxter, with Friday's evening session also features Peter Wright - whose seeding of fourth matches his world ranking - taking on another Dutch debutant, Benito van de Pas.
Debuant Stephen Bunting opens Friday's evening session against Steve Beaton in a clash of reigning and former Lakeside Champions, before 2014 European Tour winners Vincent van der Voort and James Wade take on Andy Hamilton and Jelle Klaasen respectively.
The evening session's other clash sees Adrian Lewis, who won March's UK Open on the Minehead stage, taking on recent Grand Slam of Darts finalist Dave Chisnall.
The tournament's opening session on Friday afternoon will feature 2011 champion Kevin Painter up against Brendan Dolan and 2012 finalist Kim Huybrechts taking on Terry Jenkins, who has reached the UK Open and European Championship finals this year.
Number three seed Michael Smith, a European Tour winner in Germany in September, meets Andy Smith, while another of the year's European Tour champions, Mervyn King, faces debutant Andrew Gilding.
Saturday's Players Championship winner Ian White, who ended the year 11th in the Order of Merit, takes on Jamie Caven in the event's opening fixture, while Robert Thornton meets Darren Webster, two-time semi-finalist Justin Pipe plays Wes Newton and Simon Whitlock is up against Dean Winstanley.
The first round will be played across two sessions at the Butlins Minehead Resort on Friday November 28.
The second round will take place on Saturday November 29, with the quarter-finals taking place in Sunday's afternoon session and the semi-finals and final held in the evening session.
Cash Converters Players Championship Finals
First Round Draw & Tournament Bracket
Gary Anderson (1) v Christian Kist (32)
Stephen Bunting (16) v Steve Beaton (17)
Mervyn King (8) v Andrew Gilding (25)
Phil Taylor (9) v Ronnie Baxter (24)
James Wade (5) v Jelle Klaasen (28)
Simon Whitlock (12) v Dean Winstanley (21)
Peter Wright (4) v Benito van de Pas (29)
Vincent van der Voort (13) v Andy Hamilton (20)
Michael van Gerwen (2) v Raymond van Barneveld (31)
Kim Huybrechts (15) v Terry Jenkins (18)
Brendan Dolan (7) v Kevin Painter (26)
Justin Pipe (10) v Wes Newton (23)
Robert Thornton (6) v Darren Webster (27)
Ian White (11) v Jamie Caven (22)
Michael Smith (3) v Andy Smith (30)
Adrian Lewis (14) v Dave Chisnall (19)
Schedule of Play
Friday November 28
Afternoon Session (12.45pm-5pm)
First Round
Ian White v Jamie Caven
Justin Pipe v Wes Newton
Brendan Dolan v Kevin Painter
Robert Thornton v Darren Webster
Kim Huybrechts v Terry Jenkins
Michael Smith v Andy Smith
Simon Whitlock v Dean Winstanley
Mervyn King v Andrew Gilding
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
First Round
Stephen Bunting v Steve Beaton
Vincent van der Voort v Andy Hamilton
James Wade v Jelle Klaasen
Adrian Lewis v Dave Chisnall
Phil Taylor v Ronnie Baxter
Gary Anderson v Christian Kist
Michael van Gerwen v Raymond van Barneveld
Peter Wright v Benito van de Pas
Saturday November 29
Afternoon Session (12.45pm-5pm)
Second Round
Thornton/Webster v White/Caven
Dolan/Painter v Pipe/Newton
M Smith/A Smith v Lewis/Chisnall
Wade/Klaasen v Whitlock/Winstanley
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Second Round
Wright/van de Pas v van der Voort/Hamilton
van Gerwen/van Barneveld v Huybrechts/Jenkins
King/Gilding v Taylor/Baxter
Anderson/Kist v Bunting/Beaton
Sunday November 30
Afternoon Session (12.45pm-5pm)
Quarter-Finals
Thornton/Webster/White/Caven v M Smith/A Smith/Lewis/Chisnall
van Gerwen/van Barneveld/Huybrechts/Jenkins v Dolan/Painter/Pipe/Newton
Wade/Klaasen/Whitlock/Winstanley v Wright/van de Pas/van der Voort/Hamilton
Anderson/Kist/Bunting/Beaton v King/Gilding/Taylor/Baxter
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Semi-Finals
Final
Format
First Round - Best of 11 legs
Second Round - Best of 19 legs
Quarter-Finals - Best of 19 legs
Semi-Finals - Best of 21 legs
Final - Best of 21 legs
Prize Fund
Winner £65,000
Runner-Up £35,000
Semi-Finalists £17,000
Quarter-Finalists £11,500
Second Round Losers £7,000
First Round Losers £4,000
Total £300,000
In addition, should a player achieve a nine-dart finish, they would receive a £5,000 bonus. If more than one player achieves this feat, the bonus would be shared equally on a pro-rata basis.