Monday 28 November 2016 17:29, UK
Gary Anderson will start his bid for a third straight PDC World Darts Championship title against qualifier Mark Frost.
Scotsman Anderson beat Phil Taylor in 2015's final before making it two-in-a-row against Adrian Lewis but will start this year's championship as the No 2 seed against his friend, nicknamed 'Frosty The Throw Man', after he won Monday's PDPA Qualifier.
The No 1 seed and 2014 champion Michael van Gerwen will play Canada's Ross Snook or Kim Viljanen of Finland in the opening round.
The 16-time World Championship winner Phil Taylor will face either John Bowles or David Platt in the first round, while Scotland's Peter Wright, seeded third at this year's championship, will face either Jerry Hendriks or Warren Parry.
England's Adrian Lewis will face Magnus Caris, while James Wade will meet Ronny Huybrechts and Dave Chisnall will come up against Rowby-John Rodriguez. Five-time champion Raymond van Barneveld will play Robbie Green.
Frost qualified just two minutes before the draw was made but Anderson says he is expecting a tough match.
"A good friend of mine, Mark, every time we are on the pro tour that's who I will sit with. Mark is a lovely lad and over the past six months he has been playing really well, so it will definitely be a hard game," he told Sky Sports News HQ.
"It does [make it more difficult that they are friends], but once you get on that stage at the World Championships, you have got no friends up there and Mark will be the exact same - he will be up there to beat me."
Anderson may be the defending champion but insists he is happy to see Van Gerwen labelled as the hot favourite to win the Championship and says he cannot wait to get back to the Alexandra Palace.
"I'm going to give it 180 per cent and it would be great to lift it three times and that would be the icing on the cake," he said.
"I always like being the underdog. The last 12 months Michael has been absolutely fantastic and won just about everything.
"Hats off to the kid, he's head and shoulders above the rest of us just now but this is the one that he is after and it might put a wee bit of pressure on him.
"Ally Pally is darts. I couldn't see the World Championship being anywhere else except Ally Pally. The crowds, honestly, it is absolutely bouncing. If you've never been you need to go."
The draw for the tournament took place on a boat on The Thames and was made live on Sky Sports News HQ, with all the action getting underway on December 15, live from Alexandra Palace in London on Sky Sports 3.
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