MVG and Luke Humphries head big guns battling over a massive weekend on the Euro Tour
Sport Craig Swan 08:00, 21 Mar 2025Updated 11:23, 21 Mar 2025
Mighty Michael van Gerwen is out to recapture Gottingen glory as the action gets underway at the 2025 Elten Safety Shoes European Darts Trophy.
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The Green Machine prevailed on the European Tour’s last visit to the German venue six years ago and he heads the title chasers after his run to the Premier League Final in Cardiff.
Van Gerwen and a raft of the PDC superstars are involved in the year’s second European Tour event over Friday, Saturday and Sunday which sees a star-studded 48-player-field battling it out for silverware at the Lokhalle.
Friday’s first round will feature 16 matches across two sessions with Germany’s premier player Martin Schindler one of eight Host Nation representatives in action on Day One. Schindler, fresh from winning his maiden Players Championship title on Tuesday, takes on Adam Hunt in Friday’s penultimate tie, while Ricardo Pietreczko and Daniel Klose collide in an all-German affair.
Emerging star Niko Springer plays two-time TV title winner Daryl Gurney in an intriguing first round tussle, with Paul Krohne handed a tough assignment against explosive Dutch star Wessel Nijman. Michael Unterbuchner and Dominik Gruellich will face Ross Smith and Luke Woodhouse respectively and could face a Saturday date with Gary Anderson, who won PC7 in Germany on Monday.
Cameron Menzies and Alan Soutar lock horns in an all-Scottish encounter, while World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker meets Grand Slam finalist Martin Lukeman. Damon Heta is assured of Scottish opposition in the shape of Menzies or Soutar, as two-time World Champion Peter Wright prepares to take on De Decker or Lukeman for a place in the last 16.
World Youth Champion Gian van Veen takes on Connor Scutt in one of Friday’s stand-out fixtures as Ryan Joyce and a revitalised Joe Cullen go head-to-head for a place in round two. Elsewhere, Dutch icon Raymond van Barneveld faces former UK Open semi-finalist Ricky Evans, with European Champion Ritchie Edhouse pitted against an in-form Kevin Doets.
The 16 PDC Order of Merit Qualifiers will enter the fray in Saturday’s second round as World No.1 Luke Humphries will take on either Dirk van Duijvenbode or Boris Krcmar. Van Gerwen, a winner of 37 European Tour titles, will play Gurney or Springer, while third seed Rob Cross opens his challenge against former UK Open champion Andrew Gilding or Callan Rydz.
Welsh duo Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price face potential second round showdowns against Schindler and Searle respectively, with fifth seed Dave Chisnall awaiting Van Barneveld or Evans in round two. Van Veen and Scutt will compete for the right to play Northern Ireland’s number one Josh Rock, while 2022/23 World Champion Michael Smith faces Pietreczko or Klose on German soil. Following Saturday’s second round, the last 16 do battle on Sunday afternoon, before the tournament concludes with the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final in a bumper evening session.
Schedule of Play
Friday March 21 - First Round
Afternoon Session - 12pm UK time
Jermaine Wattimena v Marko Kantele
Cameron Menzies v Alan Soutar
Andrew Gilding v Callan Rydz
Ritchie Edhouse v Kevin Doets
Dirk van Duijvenbode v Boris Krcmar
Wessel Nijman v Paul Krohne
Ross Smith v Michael Unterbuchner
Luke Woodhouse v Dominik Gruellich
Evening Session - 6pm UK time
Daryl Gurney v Niko Springer
Ricardo Pietreczko v Daniel Klose
Ryan Joyce v Joe Cullen
Ryan Searle v Laurin Welk
Raymond van Barneveld v Ricky Evans
Mike De Decker v Martin Lukeman
Martin Schindler v Adam Hunt
Gian van Veen v Connor Scutt
Saturday March 22 - Second Round
Afternoon Session 12pm UK time
Danny Noppert v Nijman/Krohne
James Wade v R Smith/Unterbuchner
Rob Cross v Gilding/Rydz
Damon Heta v Menzies/Soutar
Chris Dobey v Wattimena/Kantele
Michael Smith v Pietreczko/Klose
Josh Rock v Van Veen/Scutt
Dimitri Van den Bergh v Joyce/Cullen
Evening Session - 6pm UK time
Gary Anderson v Woodhouse/Gruellich
Gerwyn Price v Searle/Welk
Dave Chisnall v Van Barneveld/Evans
Peter Wright v De Decker/Lukeman
Michael van Gerwen v Gurney/Springer
Luke Humphries v Van Duijvenbode/Krcmar
Jonny Clayton v Schindler/Hunt
Nathan Aspinall v Edhouse/Doets
Sunday March 23
Afternoon Session - 12pm UK time
Third Round
Evening Session - 6pm UK time
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
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Final
Where to watch
Live coverage from the European Darts Trophy will be streamed on DAZN for viewers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and through the DAZN Darts channel on Pluto TV. Coverage will also be shown on PDCTV (excluding Germany, Austria and Switzerland) and through bookmakers’ worldwide.
