The seventh staging of the European Championship gets underway in Germany on Friday just two weeks after the World Grand Prix proved to be one of the most thrilling tournaments in the history of the PDC.
James Wade and Robert Thornton wrote their names in the record books with nine-dart legs in the same match while Lakeside champion Stephen Bunting made the semi-finals on his Dublin debut. Wade also ended the week as the runner-up after failing to follow up his earlier wins over Phil Taylor and Gary Anderson in the last eight and last four respectively after losing to world number one Michael van Gerwen in the final.
Below, Sports Mole previews the competition in Muelheim which has thrown up a number of surprise results in recent years.
Main contenders
As with all PDC tournaments nowadays, Van Gerwen will go off as the favourite to win the title, but he is unlikely to have it all his own way with a number of players finding form before the business end of the year.
Van Gerwen was well worth his triumph in Ireland, but he couldn't find any consistency until the semi-finals where he dispatched of Bunting with ease before edging out Wade in a highly competitive final.
The Dutchman did impress in the Crawley double-header last weekend, but in a competition played over three days and with some of his rivals showing little fear of his reputation, he will need to find more of a rhythm to make his first final at this event.
Taylor, who emerged victorious in the opening four editions of this tournament, is sure to be in the mix, but since the resumption of the PDC Tour after the summer break, he too has struggled for consistency and after being given a testing route to the final, the Stoke-on-Trent thrower will have to hit the ground running to win a fifth crown.
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Adrian Lewis, the world number three and defending European champion, has made regular appearances in quarter-finals and semi-finals this year but he hasn't reached an individual final since winning the UK Open in March and after being drawn into a stacked bottom half of the draw, he can't afford a slow start against Jelle Klaasen over a best-of-11 format if he wants to give himself a chance to make it two successes in a row.
The 'big three' will all be a threat but the man of the moment is arguably Wade. The left-hander went six tournaments without making the last eight, but a nine-darter and a final appearance at the World Grand Prix and a Players Championship win in Crawley has given the 31-year-old all of the confidence he needs to prove that he should still be regarded as a major force in the PDC.
Wade battled back from 3-1 down to see off Anderson in seven sets in Dublin but the Scot has been one of the players of 2014 and he has justified his tag as one of the pre-tournament favourites. However, he has failed to beat first-round opponent Terry Jenkins in their last-eight contests and he will need to overcome that hurdle before thinking about the latter stages.
Dark horses
As well as the top 'five contenders', there are a number of players who are due a run in a PDC major or require ranking points to improve their current position ahead of the World Championship in December.
Peter Wright, who was the runner-up at the Alexandra Palace last year, started the year on fire in the Premier League but he has, so far, failed to deliver in the televised ranking tournaments this year with his best effort being the last 16 at the Grand Prix, although his progress has been hindered after being paired against Bunting in two of the three tournaments played so far.
Bunting has taken no time to settle into life in the PDC, with the Liverpudlian having already reached the last four in Dublin as well as winning a Players Championship event earlier this year to move up to 31st in the world rankings. However, despite cracking the top 32, Bunting needs victories to avoid a second-round tie with one of the top seeds at the World Championship and he will be motivated to perform in Muelheim against Andy Hamilton.
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Another player requiring ranking points is Raymond van Barneveld. The five-time world champion, who apologised for effectively conceding his match with Mervyn King on the Emerald Isle two weeks ago, is currently scheduled to meet Lewis as early as the last 16 over Christmas but a strong showing in Germany can see him move back towards the top 10.
2012 winner Simon Whitlock hasn't enjoyed his best year as a professional but he has reached at least the semi-finals on his previous three visits to this event and after losing early on at the World Grand Prix, he will be keen to avoid slipping down the Order of Merit with Wade and Anderson reducing the deficit with each tournament.
Prediction
On paper, the top half of the 32-man draw looks a lot easier compared to the bottom half, with Van Gerwen being drawn in the opposite side to Taylor, Lewis, Wade and Anderson. However, to reach the final, the world number one could still have to oust Michael Smith, Dave Chisnall, Wright and Whitlock to make the final so it shouldn't be plain sailing for the 25-year-old.
The third quarter includes Taylor, Bunting, Anderson and Jenkins, and whoever prevails through their first three matches would have earned their place in the last four, while a quarter-final showdown between Lewis and Wade looks likely providing that they can see off the likes of Klaasen, Mervyn King and Christian Kist.
All things considered, despite the tournament throwing up plenty of shocks in the past, it's hard to look past a Van Gerwen versus Taylor final, which, should it materialise, would be their eighth meeting this year.
Despite losing his status as world number one, Taylor currently has a hold over Van Gerwen, winning five of their last six encounters, and with Van Gerwen only ever reaching the final of a shortened major on one occasion, Taylor could prove too strong on Sunday.
Darren Plant
