SIX months of international competition will conclude this weekend with the Ladbrokes World Series of Darts Finals in Glasgow, where Michael van Gerwen is bidding to retain the title in the £155,000 event.
Following international World Series events in Dubai, Auckland, Shanghai, Tokyo, Sydney and Perth, a 24-player field will face off at the Braehead Arena across two days in the season-ending Finals, live on ITV4.
The top eight stars from the final World Series rankings are joined by the next four non-qualified players from the PDC Order of Merit, eight global invitations and four qualifiers to form the 24-player field.
World number one van Gerwen, who won the title 12 months ago with his brilliant 11-10 win over Peter Wright in the final, is the top seed for this tournament following his wins in Shanghai and Perth and runs to three other finals in the six events.
That form on the World Series circuit has matched the Dutchman's incredible efforts throughout 2016, with last weekend's European Championship success being his 22nd victory of the year.
He will face either Wales' Gerwyn Price or England's Steve Beaton in Saturday night's second round in Glasgow, and is the odds-on 8/11 favourite with sponsors Ladbrokes to continue his winning run.
"I have good memories from a year ago and I come to Glasgow with a lot of confidence," said van Gerwen. "It's a tough start with a short format which is always tough for the top players, but I will be professional.
"The fans were great to me last year and I want to put on a good show for them this time. It would be really great to win the World Series again."
World Champion Gary Anderson enjoyed World Series triumphs in Dubai, Auckland and Tokyo during the year, and will meet either Joe Murnan or Joe Cullen in his Saturday night opener.
"The World Series was great and it was fantastic to win the events I did, but it would top it off if I can win in Glasgow too," said the Scot. "I love going back to Scotland and hopefully I can have a good weekend."
Sydney Darts Masters winner Phil Taylor, who won his fourth successive title in that event at The Star in August, will play either Scotland's Robert Thornton or Austria's Mensur Suljovic - who defeated the 16-time World Champion on his way to the European Championship final last weekend.
"I'm looking forward to it," said Taylor, the 6/1 second favourite with Ladbrokes. "The World Series has been great but it will be tough to win this weekend.
"I'm happy with how I'm playing though. I played well last week - Mensur was fantastic and fair play to him - but this is a different event and I'll be ready."
Dave Chisnall, the runner-up in Perth and number four seed, will face either Dutchman Jelle Klaasen or Belgium's Kim Huybrechts, while Auckland finalist Adrian Lewis will play either Germany's Max Hopp or Spain's Cristo Reyes.
James Wade, who lost out to van Gerwen in the final in Shanghai, meets either Benito van de Pas or Michael Smith, while colourful Peter Wright plays Daryl Gurney or Josh Payne and Dutch legend Raymond van Barneveld plays Brendan Dolan or Simon Whitlock.
The tournament begins on Saturday afternoon as the 16 unseeded players face off in the first round before the eight seeds come into the action in the evening session.
Sunday afternoon then features the quarter-finals, with the tournament concluding on Sunday evening with the semi-finals and final.
Tickets for the Ladbrokes World Series of Darts Finals are still available, either in person at the Braehead Arena Box Office, by calling 0844 499 1700 or online via www.ticketmaster.co.uk.
NOTE FOR FANS
Shuttle Bus services will be in operation this weekend to Glasgow (Bothwell Street) & Paisley (Gilmour Street) on both Saturday and Sunday following the conclusion of play. Buses will depart from the bus station located at intu Braehead.
Tickets are priced at £5.00 on the day or save £1.50 and secure your ticket for £3.50 by advance purchasing. On the day tickets can be purchased directly at the bus.
Please note online bookings have a booking fee per order/transaction. To book please visit Happy Bus at www.happybus.co.uk to book your tickets.
For more information, CLICK HERE
Ladbrokes World Series of Darts Finals
Saturday November 5
Afternoon Session (12.45pm-5pm)
First Round
Max Hopp v Cristo Reyes
Benito van de Pas v Michael Smith
Jelle Klaasen v Kim Huybrechts
Brendan Dolan v Simon Whitlock
Mensur Suljovic v Robert Thornton
Joe Murnan v Joe Cullen
Gerwyn Price v Steve Beaton
Daryl Gurney v Josh Payne
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Second Round
Adrian Lewis v Hopp/Reyes
James Wade v van de Pas/Smith
Dave Chisnall v Klaasen/Huybrechts
Raymond van Barneveld v Dolan/Whitlock
Phil Taylor v Suljovic/Thornton
Gary Anderson v Murnan/Cullen
Michael van Gerwen v Price/Beaton
Peter Wright v Gurney/Payne
Sunday November 6
Afternoon Session (12.45pm-5pm)
Quarter-Finals
Evening Session (7pm-11pm)
Semi-Finals
Final
Ladbrokes Odds
(correct at time of writing. Subject to fluctuation.)
Outright Winner
8/11 Michael van Gerwen
6/1 Phil Taylor
7/1 Gary Anderson
20/1 Peter Wright, Adrian Lewis
22/1 James Wade
28/1 Mensur Suljovic, Dave Chisnall
33/1 Raymond van Barneveld, Jelle Klaasen
50/1 Simon Whitlock, Kim Huybrechts, Benito van de Pas
80/1 Michael Smith
100/1 Robert Thornton, Daryl Gurney, Gerwyn Price
125/1 Joe Cullen
150/1 Cristo Reyes, Brendan Dolan
200/1 Max Hopp, Joe Murnan, Josh Payne, Steve Beaton
First Round Match Odds
11/8 Max Hopp v 4/7 Cristo Reyes
8/11 Benito van de Pas v 11/10 Michael Smith
8/13 Jelle Klaasen v 5/4 Kim Huybrechts
7/4 Brendan Dolan v 4/9 Simon Whitlock
1/2 Mensur Suljovic v 13/8 Robert Thornton
6/4 Joe Murnan v 8/15 Joe Cullen
8/11 Gerwyn Price v 11/10 Steve Beaton
4/9 Daryl Gurney v 7/4 Josh Payne