Phil Taylor is backing his former protégé Adrian Lewis as an outside shot to win his third world title at the 2021/22 William Hill World Darts Championship.
Two-time World Champion Lewis has endured a hit-and-miss 2020 campaign, resulting in a fall down to 21st on the PDC Order of Merit.
However, speaking to The Darts Show Podcast about his picks for the World Championship, Taylor backed Lewis to turn the form guide on its head at Alexandra Palace.
"Adrian is a little bit of an outsider for me because his back is against the wall," said the 16-time World Champion.
"Every time in the past when he's been in a difficult position like that he has put the work in and dedicated himself so I expect him to come out fighting.
"He must be very worried about the way he is sliding down the rankings and I think that pressure has taken its toll on his recent performances.
"This year is a make or beak World Championship for a lot of big name players who are going to be defending a lot of money which they can't afford to lose from their ranking. Adrian and Gary Anderson are two of them.
"There is a massive pressure on them and they'll both be very worried about their careers."
As well as Lewis, Taylor also picked a number of players he sees as the main contenders to lift the Sid Waddell Trophy on January 3.
"Dimitri [Van den Bergh] seems to be playing well. He's a really lovely lad and it would be nice to see him carry on his good form," Taylor continued.
"Gerwyn Price has dropped off a little bit. Simon Whitlock seems to be making a surge at the right time. Jose de Sousa is a contender as well.
"I think this is James Wade's best chance to win it with the way he played at the Grand Slam.
"I think Michael [van Gerwen] is a bit vulnerable at the minute. He's playing well in flashes but not to the same consistent level he was at.
"That's just down to the pressure. I know what sort of pressure he's under and I know what I would do to cure it.
"This is a real test for him. There are other players coming through now, the travelling will be taking its toll on him and being away from his young family all the time."
The 2020/21 William Hill World Darts Championship will be played at Alexandra Palace, London from December 15-January 3.
Tickets for the William Hill World Darts Championship are now on General Sale from SeeTickets, with up to 1,000 fans able to attend per session under specific regulations. - CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS FROM SEETICKETS.
Global coverage will be headlined by coverage on the dedicated Sky Sports Darts channel, while the PDC's international broadcast partners will include RTL7 in the Netherlands, DAZN in various territories, Fox Sports in Australia, Sky Sport in New Zealand, PDCTV for Rest of the World Subscribers and at matchroom.live.