Luke Littler vs. Raymond van Barneveld Prediction on October 23, 2025

Match info

The 2025 Machineseeker European Championship is one of the major ranking tournaments on the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC) calendar and the 18th staging of the continental championship. It brings together the top-32 male players from the European Tour Order of Merit to compete across four days at the historic venue of the Westfalenhalle in Dortmund, Germany.

For Luke Littler and Raymond van Barneveld, this encounter carries additional narrative weight: Littler, the young powerhouse from England who has risen rapidly through the ranks, faces Van Barneveld, a legendary Dutch figure with years of major-tournament experience. For him, it’s a chance to show he still has elite-level fire in the tank; for Littler, it’s another step in consolidating his status among the darts elite.

Because it's a first-round match (best of 11 legs) at a major event, the pressure is high. Littler vs Van Barneveld tie has been fixed for the evening session, meaning 7 p.m. CET (19:00 Central European Time, the local time zone), on Thursday, October 23, 2025.

Meeting statistics

Current form & playing style: Luke Littler

At just 18 years of age, Littler has already achieved extraordinary results: he’s the reigning PDC World Darts Champion and has collected several major titles in a short span. 
In terms of form, Littler enters this European Championship on the back of dominant performances and record-breaking averages: he’s known for extremely heavy scoring (many 180s), fast pace of play, and a confident, aggressive attitude on the oche. His style is characterized by quick throwing rhythm, minimal hesitation, and a strong finishing ability (notably favoring double 10 in his checkouts) as described in his profile. 
However, for all his achievements, Littler is still relatively young, and his depth of experience can be questioned compared to older campaigners, especially in big-event tie-ups against veterans. His recent run suggests he is maturing rapidly, and the way he handles high-pressure moments will be closely watched.

Current form & playing style: Raymond van Barneveld

By contrast, Van Barneveld is a veteran of the sport — one of the greats, with multiple world titles and a long career at the highest level. 
In terms of recent form, the indicators are mixed: he remains a dangerous competitor (experience counts big in majors), but his consistency has waned compared to his peak years. For example, match-average figures in recent events suggest he isn’t hitting the same heights as the very top tier this year.
His playing style is solid and methodical: not as rapid or flamboyant as the younger players, but built on composure, strong doubles finishing, and the ability to grind out legs even when scoring isn’t perfect. The question for this match is whether his experience can offset Littler’s big-scoring firepower and momentum.

Head-to-head

According to the draw for the 2025 Machineseeker European Championship, Littler is seeded fourth, while Van Barneveld is seeded 29th. That alone is quite enough for the Englishman to be given the role of a heavy favorite by the odds of every mobile bookmaker that has darts markets in its offering.

In terms of prior meetings, in the sources we checked, we located a head-to-head match record between these two consisting of three prior matches. Littler has defeated Van Barneveld twice in the past at major tournaments, while the Dutchman prevailed once.
Thus, Littler may have a psychological edge of having beaten Van Barneveld in a big-stage clash already. For Van Barneveld, this adds motivation — to avenge the defeat and show he’s still competitive.
Given the draw, they’ll meet for the first round of this event, and that fact alone creates immediate tension despite any previous meeting.

Match analytics

Littler should control the scoring from the outset, limit Van Barneveld’s rhythm, and close out with powerful finishing. Expect a competitive start, but Littler’s sustained pressure will likely produce a decisive mid-match surge.

Tip: We suggest handicap bets on Littler, such as -3 or -2.5. For now, only basic match-winner markets are available on betting sites offering darts markets. Consider visiting one of these, Zipcasino, for more wagering options closer to the match kick-off.