Our latest Premier League Darts preview covers the next stop on the calendar at the AO Arena in Manchester, with the competition now at the Night 10 stage. Going into Night 9, everything appeared pretty straightforward where results were concerned, especially for the upcoming quarter-final fixtures. However, the cat was really thrown amongst the pigeons, with the tournament providing some shock results and performances, creating an unforgettable experience for those watching on.
Luke Littler drew Chris Dobey in the quarter-finals in Germany, with Dobey one of the strugglers so far. Littler making the semi-finals was seen as nothing more than a formality, especially with Littler the favourite in the Premier League Darts outright betting to finish first in the standings and to win the whole thing. However, Dobey rose to the challenge and defeated the world champion 6-2 before exiting in the semis to the same scoreline at the hands of Gerwyn Price.
The major surprise on Night 9 was Stephen Bunting’s return to form. He’d failed to win a single match in the competition up until this point, and people were criticising his performances. With that in the back of his head, Bunting defeated Nathan Aspinall 6-2 in the quarters and world number one Luke Humphries by the same scoreline in the semi-finals. The fan favourite came up against Price in the final, edging his way to a 6-5 victory, claiming the Night 10 trophy—a remarkable win.
Premier League Darts Match Previews
Chris Dobey vs Michael van Gerwen
The events of last week will live long in the memory, and they’ll also have an impact where the thinking is concerned ahead of this week’s quarter-final fixtures. Up until last week, Chris Dobey vs Michael van Gerwen would have been a match that many would have considered easy to call. However, after Dobey convincingly defeated Luke Littler in Germany, it’s not a tie that is as easy to predict. This is especially the case following Van Gerwen’s withdrawal before play last week due to injury. If Van Gerwen plays in Manchester, which appears likely, he will come up against a rejuvenated Dobey, and he’ll have to rise to the challenge of dealing with a player coming into the fixture with more confidence than previously.
Nathan Aspinall vs Rob Cross
Nathan Aspinall vs Rob Cross is a Night 10 match between two players who will be out to do a lot better than they did on Night 9. Aspinall was comfortably beaten by Stephen Bunting in a shock result, and Luke Humphries knocked Cross out in quarters too. The Asp also comes into this one after losing to Bunting in the final of the European Tour, too. With both players positioned outside the top four, this is their chance to win and move into contention. So, there’s a lot to play for, for two players who are very evenly matched this season. Aspinall starts the night 6th on 10 points and three adrift of 4th, while Cross is 5th on 12 points, only one adrift of Van Gerwen in 4th. Cross winning and making the semis could be enough to see him replace MvG in the top four if results go his way.
Luke Littler vs Gerwyn Price
What a quarter-final contest we have in store in Manchester in Luke Littler vs Gerwyn Price. Not only is Price renowned for being Littler’s bogeyman, he comes into this one having impressed last week, making it to the final and only narrowly losing at the hands of an impressive Stephen Bunting. Littler, on the other hand, put in his worst performance of the tournament so far, falling at the first hurdle to Chris Dobey. His lead at the top of the standings has now been cut to six points, so he needs to get back to winning ways as soon as possible, or his hard work could go to waste. It won’t be easy against Price either, a player who believes he’s got the world champion’s number and will be confident of defeating him in front of Littler’s home crown at the AO Arena.
Stephen Bunting vs Luke Humphries
Stephen Bunting vs Luke Humphries is a rerun of the Night 9 semi-final between the two players, a match that Bunting won convincingly 6-2. Bunting’s return to form in Premier League Darts also saw him scoop the European Tour at the weekend, and this all coincides with Humphries expressing some dissatisfaction at his recent performances, bemoaning the amount of darts he’s been playing. In normal circumstances, people would pick Humphries to win this one and to perhaps do so in style. However, Bunting’s recent performances and triumphs, coupled with what Humphries has said, could open up the door for the former to strike and keep his excellent run of form going. It would be some turnaround from a player who, up until last week, hadn’t won a single match in Premier League Darts this year. Humphries will remain a very dangerous opponent, especially if he can get into his flow. So this one is hard to call.
The Premier League Darts Night 10 Draw
One of the most exciting elements of a night of Premier League Darts is the draw and who could end up playing who in the semi-finals and then the final. The top half of the draw features Dobey vs Van Gerwen and Aspinall vs Cross, and this means that grouping around the top four cut-off point will be impacted. Van Gerwen is currently 4th, with Cross and Aspinall chasing in 5th and 6th. With one of the latter two set to make the semis, things could get really interesting, whether MvG makes it that far or not.
The bottom half of the draw is arguably the side of the draw most will be interested in, as it features Littler vs Price and Bunting vs Humphries. Littler needs to get back on track, but he’s playing his bogeyman in Price. Bunting is in form, but he’s playing the world number one. Any mix of these four in the semis would make for excellent viewing, and you’d expect the winner of the night to come from this side of the draw.
Conclusion
If things had gone to plan on Night 9 in Germany, some people may have seen Premier League Darts moving towards being a bit of a foregone conclusion, and they’d have potentially lost interest. However, the shock results and performances on the night have added more excitement back into the competition.
Luke Littler looked to be strolling towards success in Premier League Darts for the second year running, but that no longer looks the case, not just now anyway. Chris Dobey and Stephen Bunting appeared to be lost causes, and that’s no longer the case either.
You can look at Premier League Darts betting online and see what the odds are, but with odds being upset from start to finish last week, anything could happen at Manchester’s AO Arena. Every position is up for grabs, and Dobey and Bunting may make late pushes to qualify for the playoffs, which would be some feat to achieve.
