Michael van Gerwen: If I play well, it’s highly unlikely the rest beat me

Paddy Power: How do you feel about your form heading into this tournament?

Michael van Gerwen: Ya, it’s been good. I’ve had about six or seven days practice for this tournament and I did a few hours every day on holiday recently too. That’s been good for me and I’ve been practicing hard because I want to win this tournament. I feel like I’m well prepared.

PP: With such a strong field here, do you feel it’s a good place for you to bounce back from a few shock results of late and make a statement?

MVG: I don’t need to make statements anymore. Statements are a bit old fashioned, the players here know what I can do anyways. I’ve grown past that kind of stuff.

PP: You’re in a strong group with Gary Anderson, Daryl Gurney and Dave Chisnall, what are your views on that?

MVG: It’s a tough group, but Dave Chisnall and Daryl Gurney aren’t playing the best at the moment. I need to make sure I beat them all and the same goes for Gary Anderson, it’s that simple.

PP: You mentioned Dave Chisnall, you beat him 6-1 the last time you met a few weeks ago. Are you looking for something similar here when you meet him in your opener?

MVG: Ya, beating Dave 10-1 would be nice for sure. I’ve played him a lot of times and I’ve had so many good results against him. It’s very difficult for him to beat me and that’s something I’ve got over him. You have to be wary of a record like that too though, it can make you a bit weaker because you think it’s going to be too easy. You can’t allow yourself to get into that position. You should treat every game the same, just go out there to smash them as quick as possible.

PP: Given that Gary Anderson is in your group and he’s won the last two TV majors, are you especially keen to stop his march here and win this one?

MVG: Of course, I want this one and I want to keep winning until the end of the year. That’s why I’m looking forward to the Champions League. It’s not about who has won what in the past, it’s all about the future. It’s good to win any tournament because it gives you confidence. Winning always makes you stronger.

PP: Does it matter to you who you are playing against?

MVG: No not really, if you want to win the tournament you have to beat everyone. I know if I play good, it’s high unlikely that the rest beat me.

PP: You haven’t won the Champions League before, is that an extra motivation for you?

MVG: It really is an extra motivator for me. It makes you hungrier having not won a title before. I use it like that anyway, so we’ll see what is going to happen. My form is okay I believe, of course things can go bad – we’ll see where I’m at tomorrow. I’d like this title, it’s on the BBC too and that makes it a big one to win.

Even if I make a mistake here, there’s so many tournaments coming up and you can bounce back in them. However, now’s the time for me to get back to winning majors on the way to the World Championships. It’s not about my last results, I have to show the rest of the field how good I am again this week. I demand 100% concentration from myself this weekend and I don’t want to make any errors. I need to make sure I go into the games with good confidence and with a fighting spirit straight from the beginning.

PP: We’ve talked on Chisnall and Anderson. How do you rate Daryl Gurney as a challenger?

MVG: Daryl Gurney is not a tough opponent. I don’t think he’s good enough for the top eight in the world.

PP: Finally, what would a win here mean to you this weekend?

MVG: Winning is the most important thing for me. I love winning, I just need to make sure I’m going to do it. I feel good for this weekend, so why not?