Luke Littler issued warning from darts rival Luke Humphries over Premier League crown

Luke Humphries has already begun plotting to turf BetMGM Premier League champion off his throne - even if he comes unstuck on Thursday night.

World No.1 Humphries, who has already qualified for the play-off finals at London’s O2 in a fortnight, admits he is already thinking ahead to the end-of-season finale. The Lukes of Hazard meet in Aberdeen on Thursday night in the penultimate league meeting of the 17-week circus.

Littler will top the table for a second consecutive year if he beats Humphries, who has won three of his six meetings with Luke the Nuke in this year’s competition, at the P&J Live in the Granite City. And Humphries, who won on ‘home’ soil in front of an adoring Leeds crowd last week, admitted: “You know have to raise your game against Luke.

"You have to perform at a really high level - otherwise you won’t stand a chance. When I played Luke in Newcastle I had no answer to his performance, but when I’m at my best, I know I can push him.

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"Winning in Leeds last week will give me great confidence, but the goal now is to be champion. Whatever happens in the next two weeks, that’s my focus.”

With Littler, Humphries and Gerwyn Price all safely through to the O2, the real intrigue in Aberdeen will focus on the battle for the last qualifying spot. Seven-time Premier League champion Michael van Gerwen currently occupies that fourth position, with Nathan Aspinall one point adrift in fifth.

Van Gerwen and Aspinall will go head-to-head in tonight’s opener, a contest that will have significant ramifications for both players. Aspinall has won three of the pair’s four meetings in this year’s roadshow, and the Stockport star will move back into the play-off positions with victory over Van Gerwen.

MVG, on the other hand, will confirm his qualification if he secures his first nightly victory of the campaign in week 15, having been the runner-up in Cardiff and Birmingham.

Only once, since his debut season in 2013, has Van Gerwen failed to reach the play-offs, missing out behind closed doors in 2020, when he finished sixth in the table.

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