OCHE LEGEND Raymond van Barneveld is not “scared” about facing world No.1-chasing Luke Littler – and wants to show him that he is still top dog.
Littler, 18, could replace rival Luke Humphries this weekend at the top of the PDC world ranking if results go his way at the European Championship in Dortmund.
Barney – 40 years older than the reigning world champion – would help Cool Hand Luke out if he eliminates The Nuke from their first-round fixture on Friday.
Van Barneveld, a five-time world darts champion, admits he is no longer the same thrower that once dominated the oche due to his advancing years and diabetes struggles.
But over the best of 11 legs, even the top stars can be caught napping by an underdog.
The Dutchman said: “Of course, it’s a short format.
“In all honesty, if you play best of 19 legs or best of 21, normally the better player will win.
“We all saw this years ago with Michael van Gerwen, Phil Taylor and myself. So, in the best of 11, it can go either way.
“I’m playing good. I’m focused. I’m not scared of him. I know he’s an amazing player.
“I’m just going to prepare myself like any other game and see what happens.
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“I like Luke. He’s a fantastic and amazing player and he plays fast. I like that.
“But I’m not the youngest anymore. I’m 58 years old. I’m playing against an 18-year-old with full energy.
“I’m like an old dog. With a younger dog, they want to play, they’re excited. But an older dog is like, ‘guys, leave me alone!’ It’s a bit harder for me at the moment.
“You don’t have the 100% focus that I used to have in all these years because you grow older.
“Your muscles go different. I have diabetes. You have many dips and concentration problems.
“It’s not like the old Ray anymore. I’m not playing in quarters and semis. I have to be realistic.”
A lot of Littler’s passage in the draw will be determined by how he copes with the noise and hostility of the German crowds, who have targeted him on his recent visits to the country.
Though Barney will not rely on that, joking that the world No.2 could maybe “straighten his back and hit a couple of 11 darts out of frustration”.
Littler – who hero-worshipped Barney growing up – has won two of their past three meetings, including their first meeting at the World Darts Championship in December 2023.
On his tournament debut appearance, the Warrington teenager won 4-1 in the fourth round en route to reaching the Ally Pally final where he was defeated by Humphries.
Van Barneveld, 58, said: “Well, first of all, I was flabbergasted.
“I was watching a couple of games earlier of him, of course, and I was thinking, oh, wow, I’m going to meet this guy now, but I’m one of his heroes.
“At the end, he was like a whirlwind. All these 140s. He never missed a double.
“So I was absolutely in shock. I missed crucial doubles.
“I was really flabbergasted that a young kid of 16 years old played so good against one of his heroes.
“I have respect for that. Now, two years later, he’s on top of his level. He wins what he wants to win.
“Sometimes he’s skipping tournaments, but if he has that drive and says ‘I want to win something’, then he usually wins it – apart from the Premier League this year.”
