RAYMOND VAN BARNEVELD admits that it’s “difficult” to be seen no longer as a frontrunner for the World Darts Championship.

The five-time world champion has faced a drop in his ranking lately, with his last major final appearance being in 2018 at the Masters.

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Nevertheless, Barney retains faith in his capability to take on anyone, even with world number one Luke Humphries possibly waiting for him in the third round.

However, Van Barneveld finds it hard to accept that he is no longer regarded as a championship contender.

He told the Daily Record: “I’m no longer included in the promotional materials. It’s tough when nobody claims, ‘Oh, Ray’s going to win this.’

“We must confront reality. I’m 57 years old and returned after retirement. However, in my mind, everything remains within reach.

“If I win my first match and Humphries secures his opener, we’ll face each other soon in the championship. If you approach it with a strong mindset and put in the work, believing it’s possible, I wouldn’t be surprised if I challenge Luke fiercely or even come out on top.

Van Barneveld, at 57, was last crowned champion at the World Darts Championship in 2007, the same year he last triumphed in a PDC event, winning both the UK Open and the Dessert Classic.

Despite this, he continues to play actively on the Tour, recently making it to the fourth round at Ally Pally, where he was eliminated by final contestant Luke Littler.

Van Barneveld is self-assured that he can still compete with the top players, challenging potential foe Humphries.

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Complete Draw for the Darts World Championship

Second round draw (seeded vs first-round winner)

• Luke Humphries vs Thibault Tricole or Joe Comito

• Raymond van Barneveld vs Nick Kenny or Stowe Buntz

• James Wade vs Jermaine Wattimena or Stefan Bellmont

• Peter Wright vs Wesley Plaisier or Ryusei Azemoto

• Stephen Bunting vs Alan Soutar or Kai Gotthardt

• Dirk van Duijvenbode vs Madars Ramza or Christian Kist

• Damon Heta vs Connor Scutt or Ben Robb

• Mike De Decker vs Luke Woodhouse or Lourence Ilagan

• Luke Littler vs Ryan Meikle or Fallon Sherrock

• Ritchie Edhouse vs Ian White or Sandro Eric Sosing

• Danny Noppert vs Ryan Joyce or Darius Labanauskas

• Ryan Searle vs Mensur Suljovic or Matt Campbell

• Rob Cross vs Scott Williams or Niko Springer

• Gian van Veen vs Ricardo Pietreczko or Xiaochen Zong

• Nathan Aspinall vs Cameron Menzies or Leonard Gates

• Andrew Gilding vs Martin Lukeman or Nitin Kumar

• Michael Smith vs Kevin Doets or Noa-Lynn van Leuven

• Krzysztof Ratajski vs Richard Veenstra or Alexis Toylo

• Chris Dobey vs Stephen Burton or Alexander Merkx

• Josh Rock vs Karel Sedlacek or Rhys Griffin

• Jonny Clayton vs Mickey Mansell or Tomoya Goto

• Daryl Gurney vs Florian Hempel or Jeffrey de Zwaan

• Gerwyn Price vs Kim Huybrechts or Keane Barry

• Joe Cullen vs Wessel Nijman or Cameron Carolissen

• Michael van Gerwen vs James Hurrell or Jim Long

• Brendan Dolan vs Chris Landman or Lok Yin Lee

• Gary Anderson vs Jeffrey de Graaf or Rashad Sweeting

• Ross Smith vs Jim Williams or Paolo Nebrida

• Dave Chisnall vs Ricky Evans or Gordon Mathers

• Gabriel Clemens vs Niels Zonneveld or Robert Owen

• Dimitri Van den Bergh vs William O’Connor or Dylan Slevin

• Martin Schindler vs Callan Rydz or Romeo Grbavac

He remarked: “I have the potential to cause considerable trouble, and everyone knows that. I’m confident that if I face Luke in the third round, he will have to play exceptionally well, or I might take advantage of any mistakes he makes.

“The world is aware of my abilities, and so am I, but it all has to happen on that specific night.

Watch Michael Smith deliver ‘the most lackluster 9-darter of all time,’ as fans criticize Raymond van Barneveld’s ‘outrageous’ conduct

“He understands what I’m capable of, but right now, he stands as the top player. Still, it doesn’t really matter if I meet Michael van Gerwen in the first round, [Ricardo] Pietreczko, Martin Schindler, or Gian van Veen.

“The message is simple: you must always deliver your best performance, and that’s exactly what I plan to do and prepare for.”