The BetMGM Premier League Darts reaches its climax at the 02 Arena in London this Thursday as Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, Michael van Gerwen and Michael Smith fight for the trophy.
Luke the Nuke is tasked with overcoming domestic boogeyman, Michael Smith, in the opening semi-final tonight, before red-hot Luke Humphries battles with Mighty Mike.
While all four competitors will be eager to etch their name in the record books, the £85,000 takeaway for semi-finalists will provide comfort to those who fall short tonight. Meanwhile, both the eventual winner and runner-up will receive an eye-watering £275,000.
Follow along with all of the final night darting action as Ryan Brayne delivers match-by-match previews, offering expert analysis and predictions.
Luke Littler vs Michael Smith
It has been a mesmerising debut campaign for the Nuke. While his inclusion was initially debated as a clever marketing stunt to boost viewership, he has more than proven his merit.
Littler has arguably been the most consistent player across the past 16 weeks, picking up regular points to become just the sixth person to top the Premier League table. Is it fair to consider the 17-year-old the favourite to win it all tonight?
Step forward Michael Smith, aka Luke’s kryptonite. It has been a rollercoaster campaign for Smith, bookended by Night 1 and Night 16 wins.
Inconsistency has plagued the former world champ throughout his career, with regular peaks and troughs in this campaign alone. One thing that can’t be questioned is the much-improved bottle that Bully Boy has shown in must-win situations. Poor old Nathan Aspinall found himself on the losing end of these exchanges over the past couple of weeks.
Smith will hope to extend his 5-2 record against Littler, a dominance over the darting prodigy that few others can boast. Over tonight’s longer ten-leg format, however, I predict the extra time will allow Littler to more smoothly move through the gears.
Prediction: Littler 10-8 Smith
Luke Humphries vs Michael van Gerwen
Cool Hand vs Mighty Mike is perhaps Thursday’s biggest treat for darting fans, promising a crossroads clash between the current and former number one.
Continuing on the theme of debut campaigns, world champion Humphries smashed his maiden season in the Premier League. The Leeds superfan was unplayable during the middle weeks, underlining his well-rounded skillset.
Despite the occasional lean week, Humphries’ new walkout song has revitalised him back to the high-scoring, efficient doubles machine.
The task of stopping 2024’s juggernaut falls into the hands of dart’s most decorated active player, Michael van Gerwen.
The Dutchman has only failed once before to reach the Premier League playoff phase. Although MvG has endured a bipolar season blighted with injuries, he still managed to pick up four nightly wins amongst his eight first round exits.
A few years ago, he would have been disgusted with himself at failing to top the table. Nowadays, the former world champion is well aware that reaching the playoffs alone is a true achievement.
Especially as play-off Mikey is an absolute animal. Don’t expect him to kneel down without a fight. Sure, Van Gerwen has openly admitted that Humphries owns the edge at the moment, but this is a firecracker of a contest that will demand perfection from the eventual winner.
Prediction: Humphries 10-8 MvG
Final Night Predicted Final Match-Up and Winner
Luke Littler vs Luke Humphries
From beating kryptonite to being the kryptonite, Littler enjoys a positive record against Humphries. The big loss in there is of course the World Championship Final. I think lightning strikes twice in an important game as we crown a new Premier League champion with Cool Hand Luke Humphries.
Prediction: Littler 10-11 Humphries
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