The penultimate week of the BetMGM Premier League Darts arrives at the First Direct Arena in Leeds this Thursday as Luke Littler aims to remain at the top of the table.
Teenage sensation, Luke the Nuke, is one night win away from etching his name in the record books as the first player to win five consecutive nights in a single Premier League season. Meanwhile, the already qualified Luke Humphries will be looking to regain momentum with hometown support in Yorkshire.
Follow along with all of Night 15’s darting action tonight as Ryan Brayne delivers match-by-match previews, offering expert analysis and predictions.
Michael van Gerwen vs Gerwyn Price
Michael van Gerwen will back himself to have claimed one of the two remaining spots before arriving to Night 16.
If the Dutchman is to succeed in clinching a playoff spot, he will have to rapidly turn around his downturn in form. Losing to unlikely contender Rob Cross last Thursday left his position precarious in the table, while a pair of first-round losses in untelevised events soured Mighty Mike’s mood further.
At least opponent Gerwyn Price can enter Thursday without any pressure. The Welshman can no longer qualify, which should help to take a load off his injured back.
Although Price has missed several events in the past fortnight due to his back injury, fans should expect the return of the Iceman tonight.
Van Gerwen isn’t in great form, but a hampered Price provides the perfect opportunity to gain valuable points in the hunt for the top four.
Prediction: MvG 6-4 Price
Luke Littler vs Peter Wright
Not many fans foresaw a 17-year-old entering the Premier League and making a mockery of the competition in his debut season.
Luke Littler is on cloud nine right now. The red-hot Nuke picked up his fourth Premier League night last Thursday, guaranteeing his spot at the O2.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, downtrodden Peter Wright may be experiencing his last Premier League action. Snakebite mustered a few early legs against Michael Smith but was ultimately blown away by an opponent hungry for a playoff spot.
This feels like the most predictable result of the night and the only question to ask is whether we’ll see a whitewash.
Prediction: Littler 6-1 Wright
Luke Humphries vs Rob Cross
Luke Humphries marks the second Premier League debutant to have sealed a play-off spot in their maiden season.
It was unfortunate the way Cool Hand achieved his playoff spot, via a quarter-final bye against the injured Gerwyn Price, but it should not take away from his ferocious form earlier in the season.
Humphries will be looking to return the favour to last week’s semi-final opponent Rob Cross in front of a partisan Leeds crowd. Voltage is on track to an unlikely playoff run having reached back-to-back finals.
Questions will arise whether Humphries will look to coast the next couple of weeks or attempt to bludgeon his way back to form. Whatever the case, a motivated Rob Cross gets the nod on Thursday.
Prediction: Humphries 5-6 Cross
Michael Smith vs Nathan Aspinall
Fans will be treated to Thursday’s most meaningful game for qualification implications in the final quarter-final of the night.
Bully Boy saved his blushes against Wright last week but couldn’t rise to the challenge of Littler in what proved to be a humiliating contest. Picking up the Players Championship will provide a nice momentum booster for Smith, however.
The St Helens native will need every edge he can find when facing the league’s scrappiest of hard workers in Nathan Aspinall. Is there a combination more common than the Asp and 6-5 thrillers?
He may have found himself on the wrong end of the scoreline against Littler, but he has benefitted many times in the past from these tight-knit affairs.
In a game that could go either way, expect the Asp to edge closer towards the O2 and shut down Bully Boy’s chances.
Prediction: Smith 4-6 Aspinall
Night 15 Predicted Semi-Final & Final Winner
Semi-Finals
MvG 6-5 Littler
Cross 6-4 Aspinall
Final
MvG 4-6 Cross
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