The 2025 Premier League Darts tournament continues to roll on, with attention now switched to Night 8, which will take place at Newcastle’s Utilita Arena on March 27. Players are still battling to make the cut, with there just two points separating Gerwyn Price in 4th and Rob Cross in 5th. The stakes are raised each week, and with only eight more regular-season nights remaining after Newcastle, those players below 4th need to up their game, or they’ll miss the cut.
The Premier League format, which features eight leading players battling it out across 16 nights, is as thrilling as they come. Each night follows a typical knockout format, with the quarter-finals, semi-finals, and a final determining which player takes the nightly win and the five points away with them. The runner-up receives three points, and the players reaching the semis get two.
Newcastle is always a great place for sport, especially darts, because of the passion they bring. And, on the back of Newcastle United’s success in the Carabao Cup final recently, the crowd will be even louder than usual. Luke Littler picked up his third nightly win in Cardiff last week, and he’s comfortably top of the table heading into Night 8. Premier League Darts betting odds suggest he’s the man to beat once again here, which will come as no surprise.
Match Previews
Luke Littler vs Stephen Bunting
Stephen Bunting is yet to win a match in the 2025 Premier League Darts tournament, so it’s unlikely he will have been happy to see Luke Littler vs Stephen Bunting as the match that will open the night in Newcastle.
Of course, there are no guarantees, and Bunting will fancy his chances of picking up his first win against Littler. In many ways, Bunting could look at this game as a free hit and have the mindset that he’s got nothing to lose, as he’s not going to be making the cut at this point.
But Littler is rampant. He’s the defending Premier League Darts champion, and he’s mounting an excellent defence, blowing away the competition with big checkouts, nine darters and a high average throw.
Gerwyn Price vs Rob Cross
Gerwyn Price vs Rob Cross was an opening fixture in Cardiff last week, and it was Rob Cross who came out on top on the night. The match between Price and Cross was always expected to be close, and it delivered, with the latter securing a narrow 6-5 victory.
Cross may look at last week and be confident it will be a repeat performance and perhaps, that he can win by a wider margin. And doing so would impact the standings, as Price is 4th on 12 points, with Cross 5th on 10 points. However, this means a lot is riding on this quarter-final for both.
Price will almost certainly be out for revenge after Cross defeated him in front of his home crowd in Cardiff. It was Price’s chance to shine in front of home support, and while the performance was there, the result wasn’t.
Luke Humphries vs Chris Dobey
Luke Humphries was in a heavyweight clash in the quarter-finals last week, with Michael van Gerwen getting the better of him. Luke Humphries vs Chris Dobey should be a different story, with Humphries in 2nd place on 15 points, facing Dobey, second-bottom on five points.
Humphries is one of only two other players, bar Littler, to have won a night in the tournament this season, Gerwyn Price being the other. While Humphries is in a handy position, he’ll be out to win so that he can apply pressure to Littler at the top of the table.
Things aren’t going as bad for Dobey as they are for the only player below him in Stephen Bunting. But, like Bunting, the pressure is kind of off, and that could see him play with more freedom. Although, he will have to be at the top of his game to beat the world number one.
Michael van Gerwen vs Nathan Aspinall
Michael van Gerwen vs Nathan Aspinall is a clash between two players who lost on Night 7 to Luke Littler. Littler defeated Aspinall 6-3 in the quarter-finals, with Van Gerwen losing 6-4 in the final. So it will be interesting to see who comes out on top in this one.
Van Gerwen is the only player in the top four not to have won a night as yet, but he’s won 7 games and collected 13 points, so he’s in a good position for now. Aspinall is below the cut-off line, with 8 points to his name, but after recent successes in other tournaments, he’s proven he can win under pressure.
Some people may see this as another straightforward win for Van Gerwen, who continues to perform at a high level in Premier League Darts. However, Aspinall will, at the very least, make life difficult for him and force the Dutchman to earn the victory.
The Draw
The Night 8 draw has once again guaranteed there will be some exciting fixtures in the semi-finals, building towards the final. The winner of Littler vs Bunting will take on the victor from the Price vs Cross rematch. Littler will fancy his chances of making the final once again.
It’s the other side of the draw that is most intriguing. If Humphries and Van Gerwen both come through their quarter-final games against Dobey and Aspinall, respectively, it could set up another heavyweight meetings between the two, this time in the semi-finals.
That would ultimately mean that the final could be Littler vs Humphries or Van Gerwen. First place against either second or third. When any two of these players play each other, there are always fireworks, as each attempts to raise their game to get the better of their opponent at the oche.
Conclusion
Premier League Darts Night 7 was another spectacle, with nine-darters and big checkouts delivering thrilling action from start to finish. And, it was Luke Littler, the odds-on favourite to win the whole thing for the second year running and the odds-on favourite in Premier League Darts outright betting, who came out on top.
Night 8 is a new night and another chance for players to collect points and make their mark, especially those who still have work to do to make the cut. But it could also be another night closer to victory for Littler, as he could extend his lead at the top of the table.
Luke Humphries will be out to stop that happening, as will Michael van Gerwen, and they’re both on the right side of the draw to do so. But as seen last season and this, Littler is hard to stop when he’s in his flow. He’s clear at the top and has won 3 nights and 13 matches to Humphries’ 2 night wins and 9 match victories. And there’s the difference, and why so many believe Littler will be Premier League Darts champion for the second year running, which would be some achievement.
