Last year's game was also played in Newcastle when it was the eighth matchday. Chris Dobey played a home game then, but was stranded in the semi-finals by a strong Gerwyn Price. The same Price then won the matchday by beating Van Gerwen in the final. Dobey is not there this year, but Aspinall and Michael Smith are once again.
Nathan Aspinall v Michael Smith
The two English friends open the evening around 19:10 GMT. Aspinall is yearning for his first points. He has been out of form for a long period and just can't seem to recover. Last week, Aspinall started fast against Luke Humphries, almost throwing a nine-darter. Double 12 went wrong and that same leg Humphries went out in 11 darts. The Asp's level got poor after that and he conceded the match, losing 6-3. Van Gerwen and Price were also too strong 6-4 on earlier nights. Aspinall also could not find his good play at the Players Championship 3 last Monday. In Leicester, he lost in the first round.
Smith will sympathise with his friend, but for him there is work to be done. Last week was his worst performance in the Premier League with a first-round elimination against Rob Cross. Losing is possible, of course, but the Englishman was particularly upset by the manner. With just 90 average, he threw a poor match. At the floor tournament in Leicester, he played better and eventually went home in the fourth round when he lost to Van Gerwen 6-4.
Rob Cross v Luke Humphries
Cross and Humphries are two players who still played well at the World Cup, but have been fairly out of form since then. Cross won only five matches in 2024. Two of them were in the Premier League, giving Cross four points. This puts him in sixth place, so he will have to score quickly if he is not to lose sight of the top four. Cross still won from Smith in Glasgow in a poor match, but against Van Gerwen, 94 average was not good enough. Cross also lost in the first round of the floor tournament last Monday. William O'Connor was too strong 6-4.
Humphries finally showed some of his old form again last week. Humphries threw against Aspinall's 105 average, against Price a 101 average and against Van Gerwen a 101 average. The final was his finish though, although he should have won the match from the Dutchman. Humphries picked up three important points and is fourth in the standings. He skipped the third Players Championship.
Peter Wright v Luke Littler
It gets more painful, pathetic and embarrassing every week. Wright's displays on a big stage. Last week, the Scot played at home in Glasgow, but it didn't help anything. He went down 6-2 without a chance against Van Gerwen and the Dutchman only needed to throw 89 average to do so. Wright threw only 86. On the floor, though, the Scot seems to be getting in better shape. Whereas Anderson was too strong 7-5 in Wigan in the semi-finals, again Anderson was too strong this time in the quarter-finals in Leicester. Wright still has no points so he needs to see one win.
And then he has to play Luke Littler of all people, who loses almost nothing. Last week we witnessed an angry Littler for the first time. He went missing against Price and was not happy about it. It was the first night he was eliminated on the first night. With five points, he is just third and the outlook is good. Littler was stranded in the quarter-finals on Monday by losing to Callan Rydz.
Gerwyn Price v Michael van Gerwen
Price won over Littler 6-5 in the first round last week, but had to acknowledge his superiority to Humphries. Price lost 6-3 and kept two points on the night. That puts him fifth, though with as many points as the two men mentioned above. Against Van Gerwen will be important, as the Welshman should not fall too far behind the rest. Price was on the oche in Leicester early this week, but went home after only two rounds.
Van Gerwen is in blood form. Whereas in Cardiff he had to leave the stage after just one round, he won the last two weeks' matchday. Last week, Van Gerwen played far from great, but consistently struck at the right time with good finishes and 180s. Van Gerwen made it to the semi-finals in Leicester on Monday, but lost to Ryan Searle 7-4. The Brabant wrecking ball starts as Premier League frontrunner against Price.
