Premier League Darts predictions: Littler the man to beat as Manchester gets ready to roar
Mark Strijbosch
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A huge night at the AO Arena
Manchester hosts Night Nine of the 2026 Premier League on Thursday, April 2, with the quarter-final line-up set as Michael van Gerwen v Stephen Bunting, Gerwyn Price v Luke Humphries, Gian van Veen v Luke Littler, and Jonny Clayton v Josh Rock. The format is the usual Thursday-night sprint: win three matches, grab five points, and leave town looking like the king of the tungsten carnival.
This feels like a particularly important stop. Luke Littler arrives in Manchester with the table lead after winning in Cardiff, Dublin and Berlin, while Jonny Clayton is still very much in the hunt, Gerwyn Price is enjoying one of his stronger Premier League campaigns, and Josh Rock is trying to turn one breakthrough win into a real run. Defending champion Luke Humphries, meanwhile, is still waiting for his first nightly title of the season.
Quarter-final picks
Michael van Gerwen v Stephen Bunting: Van Gerwen looked sharper in Berlin, beating Humphries and Rock before losing to Littler in the final. Bunting remains dangerous because he can turn a match into a street fight in about 40 seconds, but MVG finally looks as if he has remembered where he left the accelerator. Prediction: Van Gerwen.
Gerwyn Price v Luke Humphries: This is the trickiest one. Humphries is still one of the best players in the field, but the title defence has felt oddly clunky, like a sports car stuck in second gear. Price has been the more convincing Premier League performer lately and his scoring power gives him the edge in a short format. Prediction: Price.
Gian van Veen v Luke Littler: There is a little spice here. Van Veen beat Littler on Night One, but the Dutchman has stalled after a fast start and has also been dealing with the aftermath of kidney stone surgery. Littler, by contrast, is tearing through this competition like it insulted his takeaway order. Three nightly wins from the last four says enough. Prediction: Littler.
Jonny Clayton v Josh Rock:
Rock finally got off the mark in Berlin by beating Clayton, which should remove a fair amount of emotional baggage. But Clayton has been the more reliable operator across the campaign and usually punishes any loose visits with the cold efficiency of a tax deadline. Prediction: Clayton.
Who wins the night?
The semi-final paths matter, and Littler’s route looks inviting if he gets past Van Veen. He is world No. 1, he is full of swagger, and in Berlin he produced what was described as his best nightly display yet, including two 170 checkouts in the final against Van Gerwen. That is not form, that is a weather system.
Manchester can be noisy, rowdy and gloriously unforgiving, which makes it a perfect Premier League venue. Last year’s Manchester night was won by Nathan Aspinall, but this time the smart pick is Littler to keep rolling and tighten his grip on top spot. Prediction: Luke Littler to win Night Nine, beating Gerwyn Price in the final.
