NIGHT two of the Premier League darts kicks off on Thursday, with Berlin’s Mercedes-Benz Arena playing host.
Following the close of the Masters in Milton Keynes over the weekend, the Premier League select travel to mainland Europe for the first time this year.
In Quarter-final one, Nathan Aspinall plays against 2023 Premier League Winner Michael van Gerwen. Both players lost in close games to the eventual finalists in week one, and they both reached the final session of the Masters this weekend.
Both losing to Stephen Bunting, Aspinall 11-1 in the semi-final, with van Gerwen falling at the final hurdle 11-7.
Aspinall and van Gerwen also both suffered defeats in the first stage of the Premier League last week, both losing to Gerwyn Price and Michael Smith respectively.
Last weeks final is repeated in week 2’s second QF, with Price and Smith battling for the chance to take on the winer of Aspinall v van Gerwen.
The final in Cardiff was Price’s most recent darts, after he pulled out of the Masters due to family matters, thus has revenge firmly in his sights.
By his high standards, Smith would be disappointed to fail to reach the Masters quarter-finals, losing to Belgium’s Dimitri van den Burgh 10-6.
Looking at the other side of the bracket, teenager Luke Littler will face off against Rob Cross, in a repeat of the World Championship semi-final that saw Littler through to the final.
Both players reached the semi-finals in Cardiff, with Cross beating Peter Wright before succumbing to hometown hero Gerwyn Price and Littler avenging World Champion Luke Humphries but narrowly losing to eventual week one winner Smith.
In this weekends Masters, Cross was defeated by impressive Aussie Damon Heta, while Littler did not compete in the event , failing to reach the PDC top 24 in order qualify.
Littler has looked incredibly impressive in the World Series so far this term, reaching the final on both occasions and winning on debut in Bahrain.
Quarter-final Four matches up World number one Luke Humphries and Scotsman Peter Wright. Just like QF 1, both Humphries and Wright were defeated to Bunting en route to his victory in last weekends tournament.
Peter Wright has stirred up quite the storm on social media following his exit from the masters, calling the competition a “Mickey Mouse Cup”, after claims that 2023 Champion Chris Dobey should have earned a 2024 Premier League spot.
Wright has since apologied to Dobey in a tweet saying: ” I would like to apologise to Chris Dobey, it wasn’t meant to be a dig at him personally.
“It was about being picked for the premiere league and the criticism about being pick over Chris Dobey. Not that I know if it was a choice between us or not.
“Last week’s Premier League was also a tricky tournament for Wright, as he was beaten by Rob Cross, in a game that Wright never looked likely to be a force in.”
Luke Humphries also fell at the first round losing 6-2 in yet another the battle of the Luke’s , to Littler.
No matter what happens, eight of the Worlds greatest players grace Berlin’s stage, with Micheal Smith currently sitting pretty at the top of the Premier League.
