Premier League Darts Night 15 preview
With Luke Littler and Luke Humphries already securing their place in the 2024 playoffs, third and fourth place are still there for the taking in Leeds tomorrow night.
Nathan Aspinall will start the night in third on 25 points, three points ahead of his quarter final opponent Michael Smith.
A win for the Asp in the last quarter final of the night will almost certainly solidify his place in the top four. Aspinall was pointless after the first three nights however he now sits on two nightly wins, coming in Night five in Exeter and night 12 in Rotterdam, and 15 matches won overall.
Smith on the other hand has quietly gone about his business, collecting his only nightly win in the opening night in Cardiff. The players last met in the final at Rotterdam, Aspinall came away with a 6-4 win.
In-between these two is Michael Van Gerwen on 24 points, who faces seventh place Gerwyn Price in the opening quarter final. Price can no longer qualify for the playoffs, accumulating only seven wins across the 14 nights so far.
The Green Machine hasn’t lacked quality this year, with four nightly wins to his name. However, he has only made it into the semi-finals on six occasions. His last night win came in Night 11 and only has one win since.
Van Gerwen has the best doubles percentage at 42.29%, Price sits fourth with 40.74%
The second match of the night is a top vs bottom clash, as league leader Luke Littler takes on Peter Wright.
Snakebite has had another Premier League campaign to forget, sitting on a lonely four points. His recent performances have showed the quality he still has; however, he will need an extraordinary performance if he is to get past The Nuke.
Wright has averaged a league low 93.48 tournament average, 40 180s hit and only three 100+ checkouts.
Littler is flying at the top of the league, eight points clear of Humphries and has currently hit the most 180s and 100+ checkouts this year. Despite his guaranteed place in the last four, Littler will look to continue his dominant form in his first ever Premier League campaign.
Rob Cross still has an outside shot at the top four, sitting in sixth place on 17 points. However, he must pick up at least one nightly win to stand a chance.
Voltage is on good form, reaching the final in the last two nights where Littler defeated him both times. He must overcome Humphries who last week had a bye into the semi-final following Price’s withdrawal.
Cold Hand Luke Humphries has the highest tournament average with 100.49 and the second most 180s with 87.
If Rob Cross can reach the semi-final, it will present a huge chance for him to knock out either Aspinall or Smith for a place in the final.
