VAN GERWEN ISSUES CROWD WARNING BEFORE GERMANY SHOWDOWN

MICHAEL VAN GERWEN warned Germany’s fans their throats will be “hurting” if they try to stop the Dutch.

The three-time world champ teamed up with Gian van Veen for the first time to steer the Netherlands into the World Cup quarter-finals.

World No3 Van Veen and Van Gerwen survived a scare against Sweden before eventually running out 8-6 winners with a 94.08 average in Frankfurt.

Their reward is a blockbuster showdown against hosts Germany, with Martin Schindler and Ricardo Pietreczko set to have the backing of a partisan home crowd.

But Van Gerwen insists he has faced hostile atmospheres throughout his career and believes it is the fans who will have to keep up with him.

He said: “To play Germany is going to be a tough one as well.

“But if you look at capability, what we are capable of when we’re there, I think there can only be one winner.

“But with pressure, crowds, everything, things can get different.

“We need a good night’s rest and prepare really well for tomorrow and then I think we can do some damage tomorrow.

“I’ve dealt with it so many times before. I don’t have to deal with it. They have to deal with me. That’s different.

“They have to keep shouting against me. Their throat is going to hurt.”

Van Veen admitted his team-mate naturally takes on a leadership role given his remarkable record in the event.

Mighty Mike has won the World Cup on three previous occasions alongside Raymond van Barneveld and is now bidding to add a fourth title to his collection.

Van Veen added: “We’ve got four stars in the back of our shirt. Michael’s won three of them.”

Yet Van Gerwen was quick to play down the suggestion that there was a clear captain within the team.

He continued: “But that doesn’t matter. I just want to help. I even said to him, you need to know your strengths, you need to know your weaknesses.

“If you look at my last 50 games, I probably lost 40 times the bull. I also said to him, “Hey, you start the bull, and what do you do when you win the bull?”

“You need to trust each other. Try to find your strength because that’s how you win tournaments. That’s why you’re a pair.

“Of course experience helps but you still need to do it on the day. I know his capability.

“I know this. I know Gian since he was a little kid, you know what I mean?

“So, it’s totally different and I really enjoyed to play with him. I said it to him, I said it to everyone and I hope we can go all the way and I can’t find any reason why not.”