‘I didn’t play my best but I still beat Luke Littler’ – Gian van Veen says he won’t hesitate to ‘fight back’ against the world number one as Premier League Darts travel to Antwerp in week two.

European champion van Veen will be looking to build on his impressive debut last Thursday and although he wasn’t at his best at Newcastle, the Dutchman beat Littler and Jonny Clayton to leave the North East with three points.

He defeated the reigning world champion in the quarter-finals Littler is key in giving the 23-year-old the confidence he needs moving forward.

“Almost a perfect start,” Van Veen said. “Looking at the schedule and going into the first game against Luke Littler, my goal was just to win that game and then I had a successful night.

“That happened and then I won the semi-final but looking back on the final (against Michael van Gerwen) I just wasn’t up to par. I would have liked to have done better but to get to the final on my debut I’m not going to complain.

“The most important part is winning your first tournament, especially your first tournament like this. You don’t want to spend three or four weeks not winning anything – and then it starts to affect you. I think that’s the most important part.

“Littler is not someone you want to lose five or six games in a row because next time he’s already 2-0 up on you!

“You need to counterattack him and that’s what I did last week, so I think that’s going to help my campaign over the next few weeks as well.

“I didn’t have my best game and that helped because I knew that even if I didn’t have my best game I could still beat him. I could still win games in the Premier League. That gave me a lot of confidence.”

“In the best-11 we all know we can beat each other. In the longer games they (Littler and Luke Humphrys) are two of the best players in the world at the moment but in the best-11 all eight players can play six good games, especially on a Premier League night.”

Van Veen’s heavy grip resulted in a cut on his throwing hand. He was left injured and bleeding during his 7-1 defeat at the hands of Littler in the final of the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, but the ‘Giant’ also cut himself during Dortmund’s win at the European Championship.

He said: “I’m trying (to change the dart grip) but it’s difficult, especially when you play like I do. It’s difficult to change. If I bleed and still get to the final and win the title, then I’ll take it.”

Van Veen had a brilliant quarter-final against Gervin Price in Antwerp, with the Dutch star admitting he had been intimidated by the “Iceman” before, having won just once in nine games.

“I was very scared of what he did on stage, but I think I’ve grown a lot as a player and really needed to beat him for the first time last year in Prague,” Van Veen said.

“Definitely a roar! You notice him on stage. I know what happens when he hits a strike or a 180, and I don’t really know what to do, but that’s not a problem anymore.”

Littler: 15 weeks left

Littler has a fantastic record in Belgium, winning back-to-back European Tour titles in Wiese while also lifting last year’s Flanders Darts Cup in Antwerp.

The back-to-back world champion will aim to extend that remarkable record in an epic World Masters decider with his arch-rival Humphries earlier this month.

“Every stage is different in my opinion,” said Littler, who is on pace for a record-breaking six wins in the 2025 Premier League season. “I don’t have any pressure and I don’t need to put pressure on myself.

“I know I lost to Gian on night one, but last year I also lost to Michael van Gerwen (on night one).

“There are still 15 weeks left, so as long as I can get into the top four, that’s important.”

MVG: People know what I’m capable of

Seven-time Premier League champion Van Gerwen has made the perfect start to his 2026 campaign with a nightly win at Newcastle against compatriot Van Veen.

Van Gerwen failed to register a nightly win throughout last year’s tournament but refused to get carried away ahead of his quarter-final clash with Josh Locke, who is struggling to open his account in Belgium.

“The Premier League is always a rollercoaster, so you need to make sure you perform week in and week out,” declared the Dutch superstar.

“I had won three nights in a row and then performed poorly, so I needed to stay focused and motivated.

“People know what I’m capable of. I don’t need to make a statement. Everybody still wants to beat me, but more importantly I still want to beat them.

“There’s a lot of room for improvement, so as long as I keep that in mind, anything is possible.”

Who will win this year’s Premier League Darts League? Luke Humphries will defend his title and you can watch the action every Thursday from February to May on Sky Sports. Live stream darts and more top sports with NOW.