Thursday 27 October 2016 16:23, UK
Michael van Gerwen faces a blockbuster of an opening clash against in-form Simon Whitlock as he bids to win a hat-trick of titles at the European Championship in Belgium.
The £400,000 tournament sees the top 32 players following the year's ten PDC European Tour events competing across three days, starting on Friday.
Van Gerwen produced a memorable comeback to claim last year's title against Gary Anderson, taking four successive legs to snatch an 11-10 win in the final.
The pair are among a 32-player field at the Ethias Arena in Hasselt this weekend, with the reigning champion coming up against 2012 champion Whitlock.
Van Gerwen won six of the year's ten European Tour events to secure the top seeding coming into the European Championship, where he is aiming to win a major title for three successive years for the first time.
"I'm doing new things all the time and to win a big title like this three times in a row would be another personal record," said the 27-year-old Dutchman.
Whitlock has won two Players Championship titles this month and is in confident mood as he prepares for Friday's first round, and admitted: "There are no easy draws but getting Michael in the first round has to be the hardest.
"I think he will be looking at it the same way as me because he knows how well I've been playing recently too.
"I'm going into it full of confidence with a couple of titles and a win against Michael under my belt this month and there is no reason why I can't win that match.
Another player in buoyant mood travelling to Hasselt is Alan Norris, whose victory in the year's final European Tour event, in Germany a fortnight ago, secured him his second PDC title and seventh place in the seedings.
Despite drawing the legendary Phil Taylor - a four-time European Championship winner and second favourite - in the first round, the Bo'ness-based thrower said: "I'm full of confidence.
"I've got myself up the rankings and done enough to get seeded, but obviously Phil's as tough a draw as you can get, but I've got to look at him as just another player."
The first round will also feature the high-profile meeting between world champion Anderson and James Wade, who won a European Tour event in Hamburg in May as he secured the fourth seeding.
Austria's Mensur Suljovic, who claimed his first ranking title by winning a European Tour event in Germany last month, is seeded second as he opens against Holland's Jermaine Wattimena.
Peter Wright, the number three seed who reached a trio of European Tour finals this year, plays Justin Pipe, while Belgium's Kim Huybrechts plays James Wilson and Dave Chisnall - a back-to-back European Tour runner-up in May - takes on Australia's Kyle Anderson.
Holland's Jelle Klaasen, who lost narrowly to Norris in the year's final European Tour event, completes the eight seeds and faces in-form Steve West, who is making his European Championship debut.
