Aberdeen holds the key to the O2 for Michael Van Gerwen and Luke Humphries as night thirteen calls

Michael van Gerwen and Luke Humphries will collide in a pivotal showdown in the race for the BetMGM Premier League Play-Offs as the darts returns to Aberdeen on Thursday.

Night 13 of the darting roadshow takes place at the P&J Live in Scotland, with Van Gerwen aiming to strengthen his grip on a top-four spot against a struggling Humphries.

The Dutch number two claimed victory on Night One in Newcastle and reached the final on Night Two in Antwerp, but has since made only two further nightly finals, losing out to Luke Littler in Berlin and Jonny Clayton in Brighton respectively.

While the seven-time Premier League champion holds a four-point cushion over compatriot Gian van Veen in fifth and sits five clear of Humphries in sixth, opening-round victories are becoming increasingly vital with only four league nights remaining.

“Every week now is really important, you need to take a couple of points,” affirmed Van Gerwen, who has reached the Play-Offs in 11 of his 13 Premier League campaigns.

“Everyone knows I’m always here to win, and I always give 100%.

“It’s still a long way to go, but it doesn’t matter. You need to keep grafting and keep battling, then anything is possible.

“I messed up a couple of weeks by not winning the games I should have won, but that’s the way it is.

“The pressure is on everyone. You know you have to always deliver. I just have to win games.”

Van Gerwen’s quarter-final opponent Humphries, meanwhile, sits sixth and is still without a nightly win after 12 weeks of action.

The defending Premier League champion has reached Finals Night in both of his previous appearances in the event, but now finds himself in unfamiliar territory, having never been outside the Play-Off places later than Night Five.

The world number two also has little comfort in his Aberdeen record, having never won a match in the city during the Premier League and collecting only two points there in 2024 when Gerwyn Price withdrew through injury.

“Maybe it’s going to be one of those years that I’m going to have to fight it out hard and scrape through in the end,” admitted Humphries, who has won one of his three meetings with Van Gerwen in this year’s competition.

“I’m going to keep trying, keep pushing, and give it everything that I’ve got.”

Elsewhere, Jonny Clayton and Luke Littler have already secured qualification for the Play-Offs, occupying first and second place with 32 and 29 points respectively after claiming four nightly wins apiece.

Littler defeated Clayton 6-1 in last week’s Liverpool final to close the gap at the summit to three points, although both men had already mathematically booked their places at Finals Night.

In Aberdeen, the world number one will take on Josh Rock in the evening’s opening fixture, with the Northern Irishman still harbouring slim hopes of a late surge into the top four.

Rock suffered his first quarter-final defeat since Night Seven last week at the hands of Van Gerwen, and although he trails the Dutchman by ten points, his Play-Off hopes remain alive.

League leader Clayton meets Van Veen in another crucial clash, with the Dutch number one searching for two points to reignite his push for The O2 in his debut campaign.

The World Championship runner-up has won just one match across the last three weeks and has been outside the top four since Night Seven, but victory over Clayton would move him to within two points of fourth before Van Gerwen faces Humphries.

Elsewhere, Gerwyn Price takes on Stephen Bunting in the remaining quarter-final, with the Welshman being dragged back into the Play-Off race after a dip in form.

The former World Champion has now lost three consecutive quarter-finals and sits only five points above fifth place.

Aberdeen holds the key to the O2 for Michael Van Gerwen and Luke Humphries as night thirteen calls 

2026 BetMGM Premier League

Night Thirteen – P&J Live, Aberdeen

Thursday April 30

Quarter-Finals

Josh Rock v Luke Littler

Stephen Bunting v Gerwyn Price

Jonny Clayton v Gian van Veen

Luke Humphries v Michael van Gerwen

Semi-Finals

Rock/Littler v Bunting/Price

Clayton/Van Veen v Humphries/Van Gerwen

Final

v

All matches best of 11 legs