The eight players in the Premier League Darts competition head to Sheffield on Thursday evening for the final week of the regular part of the campaign as we finalise the identity of the four players who will compete for the title next week.
We already know that Luke Littler, Luke Humphries and Michael van Gerwen will be competing at the o2 Arena next week and on Thursday night we have a knockout match to determine the fourth player who will go through to the finals. This is the night the quarter final draw is based on the league table.
Luke Littler vs Peter Wright
The opening quarter final of the last week of the regular season sees the man who will top the table at the end of the season if he wins this match in Luke Littler going up against a Peter Wright for whom the closure of this campaign will be a welcome relief.
These two met in the quarter final last week when Littler cruised to victory despite rarely getting out of first gear and you would have to think that he is an overwhelming favourite to win here. That is reflected in the odds though. I wouldn’t say Wright will be competitive in this match after last week but I do think there will be a time where he finds his groove again and should that be this week he is more than capable of covering a handicap. Littler might already have his eyes on next week so this is one that is easy to leave alone.
Nathan Aspinall vs Michael Smith
The one quarter final which means something on Thursday night is a repeat of a last eight clash from last week as Nathan Aspinall goes up against Michael Smith in what is now a straight knockout for the final spot at the o2 next week.
Aspinall was in this situation last season and lost out so he will be doubly motivated to get the win here but Smith knows he beat Aspinall last week and will probably be more focused now that we are into the straight knockout part of the tournament. I would imagine this will be an extremely competitive match but the scars of last year could be an issue for Aspinall, who has now lost his last four matches in all competitions. Smith looks like he is building up a head of steam at the right time and I think he’ll come through this match.
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Luke Humphries vs Gerwyn Price
The third of the quarter finals in Sheffield on Thursday evening sees the world champion and winner in Leeds last week in Luke Humphries going up against a Gerwyn Price who knows his campaign comes to an end at some point in the evening.
Humphries powered to victory in front of his home crowd last week and there is a chance if he wins the night and Luke Littler loses in the quarter final that the world champion will top the table but really he is just playing for momentum ahead of next week. Price could be a dangerous challenger with nothing to lose though. The only issue with Price is whether he is fully fit because he pulled out a couple of weeks ago and averaged under 90 in defeat last week. With that in mind, this one is an easy one to leave alone.
Michael van Gerwen vs Rob Cross
The last quarter final of the season sees the defending champion Michael van Gerwen looking to continue his preparations to peak in London next week when he takes on a Rob Cross who left his rally a little too late in the piece to be in contention for a spot at the o2.
Cross made successive finals in Liverpool and Aberdeen and he beat van Gerwen along the way on both occasions so he will know that he has the beating of the Dutchman, however I suspect van Gerwen might use this evening as a chance to lay down a marker to his other three rivals ahead of next week and if he does that then as we saw last week he could be very tough to stop. There is a nagging feeling in me that thinks Cross could be value but I can’t go against MVG at this stage of a campaign so I’ll leave this alone too.
Night 16 Betting
I’ve hit plenty of crossbars with the nightly betting in recent weeks and that has been more than a little bit annoying but I can’t really find a way in on the final evening of the regular season. The way the competition has been devised there just isn’t enough on the line for me to think that this will be overly competitive. There is one quarter final that is competitive and then once that match is concluded we go onto a bunch of dead rubbers.
That might ensure we get a really good standard throughout the night but in terms of a winner we are guessing at who will be most motivated. I suspect Luke Littler is probably the man who will come through purely because he has a man he thrashed 6-1 last week first up and then a player for whom the air will come out of the balloon in the semi-final having got the win he needs to reach the o2. At 2/1 though I can let him win if he fancies the job without my cash on.
Tips
Back M.Smith to beat N.Aspinall for a 3/10 stake at 1.91 with William Hill
Back him here:
