Michael van Gerwen to face Raymond van Barneveld at Players Championship Finals

Defending champion Michael van Gerwen has been seeded to play Dutch compatriot Raymond van Barneveld in the first round of the Players Championship Finals.

The 32-man tournament, which is being held in Minehead, uses a seeding system based on the results achieved away from the television cameras during a calendar year, and that has left five-time world champion Van Barneveld having to play the world number one.

Phil Taylor, who is the ninth seed, goes up against Ronnie Baxter, while top seed Gary Anderson faces a tough contest against Christian Kist.

World number three Adrian Lewis and 2014 Grand Slam of Darts runner-up Dave Chisnall meet in the last 32, with James Wade facing former Lakeside winner Jelle Klaasen.

The three-day tournament kicks off on Friday afternoon.

First-round draw

Gary Anderson vs. Christian Kist Stephen Bunting vs. Steve Beaton Mervyn King vs. Andrew Gilding Phil Taylor vs. Ronnie Baxter James Wade vs. Jelle Klaasen Simon Whitlock vs. Dean Winstanley Peter Wright vs. Benito van de Pas Vincent van der Voort vs. Andy Hamilton Michael van Gerwen vs. Raymond van Barneveld Kim Huybrechts vs. Terry Jenkins Brendan Dolan vs. Kevin Painter Justin Pipe vs. Wes Newton Robert Thornton vs. Darren Webster Ian White vs. Jamie Caven Michael Smith vs. Andy Smith Adrian Lewis vs. Dave Chisnall