Luke Humphries has sent a clear warning to the local German crowd, as he looks to defend his World Cup of Darts title after his victory with Michael Smith last year.
The pair defeated Austria in the final to secure £80,000 in prize money.
This year, Humphries partners with teenage sensation Luke Littler, as the top two-ranked players in the world join forces.
The duo enter the tournament as clear favourites, but the other seeded teams, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, will present tough challenges.
Luke Humphries will be paired with Luke Littler for the World Cup of Darts this weekendPAHumphries, though, remains focused on his goal of retaining the title, saying it is a “special” tournament that “money can’t buy”.
Humphries, speaking to BetVictor who offer the latest Darts Betting, said: ”The World Cup was a special one - to do in my debut year [in the tournament], you're playing for your country and it's something money can't buy. It's a special, special feeling.”
Cool Hand addressed any lingering concerns that the pressure of being clear favourites to win the tournament may negatively impact the pair's performance at the oche.
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Reuters“Luke and I have been the favourites in every tournament we've played in this year and we still manage to win them,” the world no 1 stated.
Throughout their Premier League campaign, Littler in particular has been known to antagonise fans.
The teasing came to a head in the Premier League, where Manchester United fan Littler reacted to crowd jeers with a cry-baby face at the home of his side’s arch-rivals, Leeds United.
Humphries, however, has insisted that if they are to face the host nation, Germany, the pair must keep their focus: “If we play against Germany then it'll be really hostile. We know that.
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“When you get involved with the crowd, it never ends well so it'll be important to focus on the darts and let the crowd do what they want to do.”
Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko are representing the host nation this year and would be a tough opposition for any side, even the world's top two.
However, Cool Hand admitted that retaining the title could be harder than his victory last year while insisting that he and The Nuke will be tough to beat.
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Reigneing Austrian Darts Open champion Martin Schindler will be paired with Ricardo Pietreczko to represent Germany
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“Not many people have done it back-to-back so that's another accolade I'd love to put on my CV,” Humphries said.
“It makes you feel a bit more prestigious and like you've achieved something greater than you thought you could. I know it'll be harder this year because the pressure is all on us.
“[Last year] I was pretty flawless. My scoring and finishing were great and if Luke repeats the same then you average 112 or so in the final. You can't really ask for more.
“I’m hoping we both turn up and perform to our ability and then it'll take a tough performance to beat us.”
England are looking to become the first team to defend their title since Michael van Gerwen and Raymond van Barneveld’s Netherlands in 2018.
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