The future of darts will be played out in front of everyone on Saturday night when a teenager takes on a 23-year-old in the pinnacle of the sport.

Defending champion Luke Littler, 18, will face Gian van Veen, 23, in the World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace.

As well as the fame that comes with winning this tournament, the victor will pick up a cool £1million in prize money.

Littler will go into the final as the overwhelming favourite with experience and form firmly in his favour, despite his youth.

The teenage sensation demonstrated his skill on Friday night by swatting aside Ryan Searle 6-1 in the first semi-final.

Victory cements his position as one of the giants of the game and few would back against him lifting the Sid Waddell Trophy for a second time on Saturday.

In reaching the final, 'The Nuke' has now reached this stage of the competition every year since he first entered as a 16-year-old.

He will take some beating in the final after thrashing Searle to stretch his unbeaten run on the Ally Pally stage to 12 matches and counting.

If he is to make it a lucky 13, he will be the first player to win back-to-back world titles since Gary Anderson - who Van Veen beat in the other semi-final - achieved the feat in 2015 and 2016.

It will take something special to stop him as he looks unbeatable over a longer format.

And Van Veen will be hoping he has the secret formula, with the player nicknamed 'The Giant' hungry for success in more ways than one.

As detailed by Dutch outlet AD, the Dutchman - who is a former aerospace engineering student - has a specific eating habits on matchdays.

Despite not seeing himself as superstitious, it is reported that after breakfast his lunch is a Subway followed by always having steak for dinner.

And if he is not at the oche at a tournament, he has playing partner on hand at home with his long-term girlfriend Kyana Frauenfelder is also a darts player.

Having been together for six-and-a-half years, the couple have recently bought a house in the Dutch village of Andel - 88km from Amsterdam.

'I want to see what I can do for myself for another two years, but I'm 100 per cent behind Gian and have to figure out how my own life fits into that,' Frauenfelder told AD of their relationship and her darts career.

'Sometimes that realisation is hard, but it's okay. I'm always there for him. His darts are much more important. I can't express how proud I am.'

That pride would've increased 10-fold after seeing him beat Anderson 6-3 to set up the showdown with Littler.

Although Van Veen won 6-3, that does not tell the story of a thrilling tussle that could have gone either way.

Both men averaged over 102, they both took out a 170 finish and Anderson hit more 180s, but it was Van Veen's finishing which got the job done.

For significant periods of the match Van Veen, who has enjoyed a breakthrough year and is the new world No 3, produced the standard which could match Littler.

The 23-year-old, who comically won the PDC Youth World Championship in November, is now just one win away from getting his hands on a maiden senior title and following in the footsteps of countrymen Raymond van Barneveld and Michael van Gerwen.

'I am so happy,' Van Veen said on stage. 'Winning this game... 10 years ago or five years ago, wherever I was, struggling playing darts.

'I remember three or four years ago I was in Barnsley in the Metrodome and I was struggling with dartitis. I was crying at the table and look at me four years later. It's all been worth it.'

While Van Veen will have his fans, Littler had plenty of support in his corner during Friday's win over Searle.

As custom during his walk-on, he embraced his parents Anthony Buckley and Lisa Littler, while also sharing a kiss with girlfriend Faith Millar.

The Manchester United fan had some other star-studded support in his corner as friend and recent I'm A Celeb King of the Jungle Angry Ginge, real name Morgan Burtwistle, was in attendance. As well as him, musician Lewis Capaldi was at the north London venue.

Despite his stardom, Littler has faced some adversity this tournament.

He was booed during Monday's last-16 win over Rob Cross and took a swipe back on the mic afterwards, saying: 'I'm not bothered. Really not bothered.

'Can I say one thing? You guys pay for tickets and you pay for my prize money. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Come on!'

There were also plenty of fans online branding the teenage sensation 'arrogant', leading to his mum calling the crowd 'vile t**ts'.

Littler dubbed the atmosphere at the historic venue 'hostile', while his mother had far stronger things to say on social media as she rushed to the defence of her son.

One commenter had wondered aloud why he wasn't allowed to 'call (Littler) a little pudding because he's 18' since he was able to 'financially ridicule a whole audience who've paid their hard earned money'.

Lisa responded: 'So they buy tickets with there (sic) hard earned money to sit there like t**ts and boo (thumbs up emoji)'.

Another social media user had noted that 'the more I watch Luke Littler, the more I hate him' - prompting his mother to respond teasingly: 'Aww gutted for ya nottt (sic) (two laugh-crying emojis)'.

When darts fan told the world No 1 to 'behave like one', Lisa pulled no punches with her reply, writing: 'Behave like one (two laugh-crying emojis)

'Best comment so far am sure Luke will carry on behaving like one as he as (sic) done crowds were vile let's all boo the world number one idiots man'.

In response to one line of insults, Lisa continued her defiant streak, mocking one use who called Littler 'the most unbearable arrogant w****r in any sport' and a 'fat ****' by saying: 'Aww Luke Won't sleep now (two laugh-crying emojis) (middle finger emoji)'.

Van Veen will be hoping the crowd is on his side come Saturday night.

Just over two years ago, he lost to Littler in the World Youth Championship final. Now he has the chance to exact revenge on the grandest stage of them all.