- Luke Littler has conceded only four sets in his five World Championship matches
- The Nuke has won the maximum count in all five of his games in this tournament
- Recommended bet: Luke Littler -1.5 spread

Luke Littler has stolen the show in this year’s edition of the PDC World Darts Championship and the 16-year-old is just one match away from making an unprecedented appearance in the final. 

2018 Champion Rob Cross stands in the way of the Nuke and he will be hoping to use all his experience to stop the sensational youngster in his tracks. 

The pair are the opening semi-final, with their match set to get underway at 7.30pm on Tuesday at the famous Alexandra Palace, and it looks set to be a scintillating clash. 

The stats

Littler has conceded only four sets in his five World Championship matches

Cross has notched the highest checkout in all but one of his four World Championship fixtures this year

The Nuke has won the maximum count in all five of his games in this tournament

Voltage went out to an unseeded competitor, Dirk van Duijvenbode, in the 2021 edition of the World Championship

Prediction

Littler has looked utterly unfazed on his way to making the World Championship semi-finals, hardly breaking a sweat despite being so young as he has swept all in front of him to reach this stage of the tournament. 

The Nuke has conceded just four sets in his five matches so far, whitewashing Christian Kist before losing a single set to all of Andrew Gilding, Matt Campbell, Raymond van Barneveld and Brendan Dolan.

He looks simply unstoppable thanks to his power-scoring — he has won the 180 count in all five of his games at the World Championships — and his composure when it comes to doubles, registering a 50% checkout success rate against 2007 World Champion van Barneveld, showing how nerves are nothing but an afterthought for Littler.

Cross had his own fairytale back in 2018 when landing the title, and he could be set to play his part in another, although not in the way he would hope. 

Voltage has lost to an unseeded competitor before, going out to Dirk van Duijvenbode in 2021, and the one-time champion may be in for a tough time against Littler, who has the Midas touch at present. 

Littler has been dominant and could land the match, most 180s and highest checkout treble with ease, although a safer bet may be sticking with the spread betting instead as Cross has landed the highest checkout in all but one of his World Championship games this year.

The Nuke is placed at -1.5 sets on the spread and, given his hefty winning margins so far, that looks the smart play for this semi-final clash. 

Back Luke Littler -1.5 set betting at 21/20 with LiveScore Bet