Luke Littler has a problem vs Andrew Gilding in World Matchplay clash

Cautious Luke Littler acknowledges he'll need to adapt his lightning-fast tempo for his World Matchplay clash with Andrew Gilding. The world champion stands just three victories away from claiming his maiden Blackpool darts crown at the legendary Winter Gardens.

Littler's next adversary is Gilding tonight, with the teenage prodigy heavily tipped to defeat the crowd favourite and secure his semi-final berth. Nevertheless, The Nuke recognises the task won't be straightforward, given Goldfinger's deliberate and calculated style contrasts sharply with the youngster's rapid rhythm. Littler concedes it's an issue he must tackle during the encounter as he seeks to find his optimal performance level.

He said: "You've just got to look at what's in front of you. Andrew Gilding, I've played him once before and you've just got to, for myself, find the routine because he's not the quickest.

"It certainly is going to be a challenge. Obviously, the pace isn't there for myself and, like I did at my first Worlds, you've just got to find some sort of routine that you can get into and I'm sure it'll be a good game."

Littler secured his quarter-final spot with a dramatic comeback triumph over Jermaine Wattimena. The sensation found himself in serious difficulty trailing 7-2, but rallied magnificently to prevail 13-11 in a heart-stopping thriller. Littler gestured to the star on his shirt after clinching victory.

He said: "It was just saying to myself, saying to the fans, World Champion for a reason, we come back. And for myself, I always find these gears somewhere. "Obviously for myself, I'd rather be blasting off into the lead like I did against Ryan Searle, but it wasn't to be and I pulled out the bag.

"Probably since the Ryan Joyce game, I've not let that much emotion out of me since then. But it's just good to show the emotion and show that I can always find a way to come back. That's probably one of the biggest wins for myself.

"No one can write anyone off. It's darts, anything can happen. Obviously we've seen some big shocks so far. But, like I said, you can't write anyone off. Whoever performs on the day they win.

"I've done it for many years and years. It's like whatever double I leave on the first leg, I'll sort of go for that in the first few legs and see how they work out.

"But obviously if you don't pan out, then you've got to swap and the tops and tens worked a little bit, definitely got me over the line."