The BetMGM Premier League Darts goes Irish this Thursday as Dublin’s 3Arena hosts Night Eight for post-St Patricks Day fireworks. Ready yourself for every tantalising clash with Ryan Brayne‘s match-by-match guide and stay until the end to find out his predicted winner of Night Eight.
Luke Humphries will look to secure three consecutive nights after he sank Nathan Aspinall in last week’s final in Nottingham. Perhaps the biggest story from the Midlands, however, was Peter Wright winning his first match of the 2024 Premier League season with a magnetising 6-5 win over Gerwyn Price.
Luke Humphries vs Peter Wright
Back to back night wins for Cool Hand has seen him ascend to the top of the Premier League table. Humphries will look to continue his winning ways against Peter Wright, who crossed a serious mental hurdle last week as he picked up his first points of the campaign. Although the pair met in the semi-finals last week, it proved a one-sided affair in favour of the world champion.
Snakebite will travel to Dublin with a renewed confidence after sinking Gerwyn Price, but it would be the biggest surprise of the year if Wright was to stop a red-hot Humphries.
Prediction: Humphries 6-2 Wright
Nathan Aspinall vs Rob Cross
As the tussle for top-four begins to heat up, Nathan Aspinall has once again exhibited why you can never write him off. The Asp clawed his way into last week’s final despite playing some very average darts, but points gained in such a manner are a trademark of the Stockport native.
Unfortunately for Rob Cross, he is suffering from a polar opposite problem. Voltage is producing his vintage best without any reward and as competition around him begin to find their form, we may see a resulting dip from the former world champion. Thursday’s quarter-final is therefore a coinflip affair, but ultimately it is safest to back last week’s finalist to continue their momentum.
Prediction: Aspinall 6-4 Cross
Michael van Gerwen vs Gerwyn Price
As Michael van Gerwen and Gerwyn Price prepare to meet in a repeat of last year’s Premier League final, it is fair to say that the pair’s inconsistent form taints this current meeting with a certain shallowness. MVG is not fully fit, yet despite three losses on the bounce, the Dutchman still finds himself in second place in the table. Any opponent other than Luke Littler last week may have seen Van Gerwen’s quarter-final average of 110+ push him into the final four – instead, he fell to a head-scratching 6-2 defeat.
Meanwhile for the Iceman, his averages remain at a typically strong level but it has been his below-par finishing letting him down. The Welshman will not be happy languishing near the bottom of the table and has proven his ability in the past to rebound to form.
Thursday’s clash feels like an important crossroads meeting for both players, with the result either making or breaking their respective campaigns. Even with Mighty Mike carrying an injury, it would be remiss to bet against the hall-of-famer losing four in a row.
Prediction: MVG 6-5 Price
Luke Littler vs Michael Smith
Consistency is arguably Luke Littler‘s greatest asset. The 17-year-old has proven a phenom in his maiden PL campaign, with the Nuke continuing to pick up regular points despite having failed to have secured a night win so far. The Warrington native destroyed Van Gerwen, narrowly missing out on a nine-darter, before flopping in the semi-final to Aspinall.
Bully Boy threw admirably last week but could consider himself unfortunate to face the in-form world champ. Despite winning the opening night, Michael Smith now finds himself hunting for increasingly scarce points as we enter the business half of the season.
Expect a cracking watch between the two players, with high-scoring and high finishes aplenty. Based on current form, however, Littler should continue his trend of picking up at least two points per week.
Prediction: Littler 6-4 Smith
Night Seven Predicted Semi-Final & Final Winner
Semi-Finals
Humphries 6-4 Aspinall
Van Gerwen 4-6 Littler
Final
Humphries 6-4 Littler
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