Coverage of all four quarter-finals is available on Sky Sports Darts from 12.30pm and 7pm on Sunday
Sunday 29 December 2019 19:28, UK
Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price will look to remain on course for the dream PDC World Championship final, if they can first overcome their quarter-final obstacles.
Van Gerwen and Price are in opposite halves of the draw and given both players' form over the second half of the year, many experts have had it pegged as the dream final.
Both players still have two games to win if they are to give the fans the dream final, but Glen Durrant and Darius Labanauskas will have plenty to say about it.
Durrant, the three time world BDO champion is desperate to unify the titles and has declared Price as the man he wants to beat to make a statement, while Labanauskas has already made history in becoming the first Lithuanian to reach the last eight and will hope to derail Van Gerwen's defence.
We get the lowdown from the players and Sky Sports experts, and track how they've made their way through as the tournament reaches the business end...
World No 1 Van Gerwen will be hot favourite to end the run of surprise quarter-finalist, Labanauskas. The Lithuanian has already knocked out Matthew Edgar, Ian White, Max Hopp and Steve Beaton to get this far, but now he faces his toughest test yet against the reigning world champion.
Van Gerwen, winner here in 2014, 2017 and 2019, has dropped just one set to Jelle Klaasen en route to the last eight, winning a total of 11 sets.
"I know there was more in the tank," said Van Gerwen. "You need to keep doing what you are good at - play darts at the highest level possible, particularly at the World Championship. You're not allowed to make mistakes and so far I am not making any.
"As long as they keep talking about me it's a good sign for myself, as long as I'm still in the tournament. We're going to raise the format in the quarter-finals, first to five sets, which is all in my favour. You still need to do it.
"Anyone can stop me if I don't play my A-game and somebody plays above their power, but I don't see that happening. From now on it's business after business and I need to keep focused because I want to win this title back."
"I have a great feeling of course, I'm in the last eight of this tournament. I'm really happy to be here again. It will be very hard because I play the best player in the PDC. If he will play not so high an average and I can show my best, maybe we will have a good fight," said Labanauskas.
"I don't meet him on the board but I hope I can beat him of course. If I don't believe, why do I play darts?"
Darius has been really steady, really solid - he doesn't have too many 'valleys' but he has one or two peaks with a very good standard all the way through - and that is a game that tests people.
If he can maintain it, and elevate it, as he will need to then 'A-game' Michael is not going to have any problems, but if he is a little bit off he might get frustrated with a performance level from Darius that never wavers, and if that performance is 95/96 that can be a concern.
It's the first to five now, and Michael is feeling comfortable and he should win quite handily but if he gets embroiled he might get frustrated - but mostly when he gets embroiled he kicks in, and I would expect a fairly solid win for Michael but I can see where it might get complicated.
Duzza is unbeaten in World Championship competition since defeat to Scott Waites in the 2016 Lakeside quarter-final. After three successive BDO world titles he earned his PDC Tour card in January and has enjoyed a year to remember with Pro Tour wins and semi-finals at the Matchplay, Grand Prix and Grand Slam.
There is arguably no one, bar MVG, more in tune with the gruelling nature of the World Championship and its set format, and Durrant has the ability to grind anyone down.
In the final quarter-final he faces Price, who is enjoying his best ever Worlds showing in perhaps his best ever year. He has risen to third in the world rankings, defending his Grand Slam of Darts title, won four Pro Tour titles, reached two more major TV finals and two semi-finals.
"The undisputed champion of the world would be very nice. I think I can relax now, I wanted to reach a quarter-final and I am in the quarter-final now so I think I am dangerous.
"Gerwyn is the one I want to play, everyone knows he is the second best player in the world right now and it would be the perfect game for me.
"I love watching him and if I am going to make a statement in the PDC World Championships beating Gezzy would be that moment."
"I think that was probably the worst I played for a long time. Simon missed a lot of doubles and so did I, but someone had to win it and thankfully it was me.
"The pace of the game wasn't suiting me and I think Simon did that on purpose. Some people just try and drag you down.
"I tried my hardest but sometimes when you try too hard it never happens.
"I played fantastic against John Henderson but this game was just one I was glad to get out of the way. I'm sure Glen and myself will have a decent game."
"I think it will be a battle as neither player turned up with their A-game in the fourth and they will know now that it's the quarter-finals and they will have to do better and up their game.
"There may have been a little bit of twitchiness as they were both so desperate to reach the last eight and both will feel like they have a chance of going all the way and every time the finish line came up [against Whitlock and Dobey] they seemed a bit desperate to get over the line.
"I have said that I think it's going to be an MVG vs Price final and I am sticking with that but I think both will improve after a good night's sleep."
Coverage of the World Darts Championship continues on Sunday with the last double session of the year featuring all four quarter-finals. Join us from 12.30pm on Sky Sports Darts and then again from 7pm
