Gian van Veen is determined to build on his impressive BetMGM Premier League debut when he faces Gerwyn Price in Antwerp tonight.
The 23-year-old meets the in-form Welshman at the AFAS Dome, as the Premier League visits Belgium for the first time. Van Veen made a flying start in Newcastle, defeating Luke Littler and Jonny Clayton before losing to Michael van Gerwen in the Night One final.
“Especially playing Luke Littler in the first game, my goal was just to win that game,” admitted Van Veen.
“I then managed to win another game, but looking back at the final I just wasn’t up to par, so that’s something I’m really looking at in terms of how I can do better.
“The most important thing was to get off zero points, especially playing in this competition for the first time.
“You don’t want to spend three or four weeks not winning any games, because then it can start getting to you, so that was really important.”
Despite not producing his best form, the reigning European Champion drew confidence from his performances.
“I didn’t play my A-game, but I think that could help me,” he continued.
“Even though I didn’t play at my best, I can still beat Luke, I can still win games in the Premier League, and that gave me so much confidence.
“I said it last week as well – Luke Littler is not someone you want to lose five or six matches in a row against, because next time he’ll already be 2-0 up against you [mentally].
“You need to poke back at him a couple of times and that’s what I did last week, so I think that’s going to help my campaign over the coming weeks.”
Reflecting on Price, he added: “Now I know what it’s like to beat him, and what it takes to beat him, and that gives me much more confidence going into this game.”
Source: PDC.TV
