Van Gerwen and Taylor are two of the favourites to win the World Championship Darts.

The tournament, which gets underway today, has been won a record 14 times by veteran Taylor.

Van Gerwen successfully defended his crown last year and has overtaken the mantle from Taylor as darts’ biggest star.

The two have met on the oche 62 times, with Taylor winning over half of those matches.

And body language expert Blanca Cobb reckons the two are at odds with each other, even if they’re smooth in front of the camera.

She told the Daily Star Online Taylor’s attitude was revealed when winning a World Matchplay quarterfinal 16-6 against Van Gerwen back in July.

Taylor had blasted Van Gerwen for texting during a previous round.

And Cobb said: “Taylor showed a facial expression of disgust when he said, ‘It’s ridiculous’ when he referred to MVG, through his nose crinkle.

“That same emotion was shown when he said Van Gerwen should ‘grow up’.”

But Van Gerwen is supposedly not a fan of Taylor either.

That evidence, it is claimed, came last month when Van Gerwen reacted to Taylor’s statement that he was going to “teach people how to beat MVG up”.

Cobb added: “Van Gerwen said, ‘I got a lot of respect for that man’ but he doesn’t – we know this by two things.

“He showed a tongue just when he made this statement. You stick out your tongue at something you dislike.

“In this case, van Gerwen doesn’t really respect Taylor. He gave an acceptable sportsmanship answer. Also, he referred to Taylor as ‘that man’.

“The word ‘that’ signifies a psychological distance or disconnect between Michael and Phil, which indicates a rivalry not a friendship.”

Taylor and Van Gerwen last met at the Grand Slam of Darts semifinal in November, which Van Gerwen won 16-8.

The pair are in opposite sides of the World Championship Darts draw, so can only meet in the final at the Ally Pally.