October 6th 2024.
It has been a truly incredible year for Luke Humphries, who captured the World Darts Championship title in January after defeating Luke Littler in a thrilling 7-4 victory. However, it was Littler who stole the spotlight during last year's Christmas and New Year celebrations, with his impressive performance that landed him a spot in the final match.
At only 16 years old, Littler showed immense talent and determination as he made his way through the ranks at the Alexandra Palace in London. Many believed he would dominate the tournament and easily defeat Humphries, but in a surprising turn of events, it was Humphries who emerged victorious and claimed the top spot as the world's best darts player.
While Littler has had a successful year, winning the Premier League and World Series titles, he has remained in the shadows of Humphries. The "Cool Hand Luke" has been on fire, winning six televised ranking titles and even teaming up with Michael Smith to win the World Cup. His rise to the top began last year when he won his first major title, the World Grand Prix, and he is now returning to Leicester in hopes of becoming only the third player to win the tournament in consecutive years, alongside legends Phil Taylor and Michael Van Gerwen.
Despite Humphries' impressive record of reaching eight out of the last ten PDC finals, it's surprising to see Littler as the favorite to win this year's World Grand Prix. However, with odds of 7/2 from top betting sites such as Paddy Power, Betfair, and Betway, Littler is certainly a strong contender. Humphries, on the other hand, is still a force to be reckoned with and is listed at 9/2 with StarSports, SpreadEx, and Sporting Index to begin his journey to defend his world title with a win.
In the first quarter of the draw, Humphries is favored to come out on top at 6/5 with William Hill, facing tough competition from players like Ross Smith, Stephen Bunting, Johnny Clayton, and Raymond van Barneveld. Meanwhile, Littler is looking to secure the second quarter, with odds of 6/4 from Betfred. However, Nathan Aspinall is also a strong contender at 8/1 from Betway if he is able to bring his A-game. The third quarter is expected to be dominated by Gerwen Price, who is listed at 7/2 by Unibet, BetUK, and BetMGM. With odds of 14/1 from StarSports and SpreadEx, Price is worth considering for an each-way bet to win the title he claimed in 2020, especially since he is in a different half of the draw than the two Lukes.
In other news, World Grand Prix sponsors BoyleSports have created an opening day acca that includes Dave Chisnall, Ross Smith, Johnny Clayton, James Wade, and Nathan Aspinall. Moving on to American football, the Kansas City Chiefs are looking to continue their perfect start to the NFL season with a 5-0 record as they face the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football. The Chiefs are favored to win by over 5.5 points, with odds of 10/11 from most betting firms. For those looking for individual player bets, SpreadEx is offering odds of 12/5 for Saints' Chris Olave to score a touchdown at any time and 9/2 for Chiefs' JuJu Smith-Schuster to put up six points as he steps up in place of the injured Rashee Rice.
In other news, Ruud van Nistelrooy has expressed concern over replacing Erik ten Hag as Manchester United's manager, while Gary Lineker has addressed rumors of his exit from Match of the Day. Additionally, an England star has admitted that it would be difficult to say no to a transfer to Manchester United.
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