Will Littler make history in Berlin? Night Nine Preview 

Luke Littler hopes to make BetMGM Premier League history in Berlin, where the sport’s largest roadshow arrives on Thursday evening.

Night Nine of this year’s competition will take place on Thursday, April 3, at the Uber Arena, as Littler looks to expand his eight-point lead at the Premier League summit.

Last week, the World Champion celebrated his fourth nightly win of the season in Newcastle, and now he wants to be the first player to win five nightly games in a single season.

“I never really say I’m the best in the world, but I am performing at a really good level at the moment,” admitted the teenage phenom.

“I’m playing too well for players not to be thinking about playing me, rather than just playing the board.

“I’m sitting comfortably at the top of the table now, so hopefully I should be even more settled going into the next few weeks.

“I want to finish top of the table again, I want to go back-to-back, but my main goal now is to get my fifth nightly win in Berlin.”

 

 

Littler will face Chris Dobey in his quarter-final opener, having defeated the Bedlington star in a last-leg decision when the two previously played on Night Five at Brighton.

The winner will face either Gerwyn Price or Michael van Gerwen in the semi-finals, which will take place on Thursday’s fourth quarter-final.

Price won emphatically 6-1 in their most recent Premier League match on Night Six, but Van Gerwen answered with a comeback victory on the European Tour in Germany less than a fortnight ago.

The Dutchman overcame a 4-1 deficit and Price’s 107 average to win in Gottingen, but the Welshman prepared for this week’s action with a victory at Players Championship Nine on Monday.

“I’ve been struggling with a bit of an injury over the last week, and it’s still not 100%,” conceded Price, who trails Van Gerwen in third spot by a solitary point.

“It was nice to get another win on the ProTour this week, and this gives me a good confidence boost going into the Premier League on Thursday.

“I was 4-1 up against Michael on the European Tour the other week and I lost 6-4.

“It doesn’t matter how well you’re playing, these players can come back and beat you, so I need to be at the top of my game.”

Stephen Bunting and Nathan Aspinall will open Thursday’s proceedings in Berlin, with the Liverpudlian coming off a strong ProTour performance this week.

Bunting had a tournament average of 103 in five games at Tuesday’s Players Championship Ten, after averaging 111.72 in his prior 16 victories over Mike De Decker.

The former Lakeside Champion is now looking to open his Premier League account for the ninth time when he faces Aspinall, who is currently two points behind the Play-Off spots.

“I’ve played some really good stuff on the ProTour, and getting those wins under my belt has been massive for my confidence,” claimed Bunting, who has averaged over 100 in four of his last six Premier League games.

“I’ve been happy with my performances. My scoring has been really strong, but my doubles have let me down in certain moments and at this level, a game can switch on one mistake.

“I honestly cannot wait to get my first win, and with the confidence I’ve gained this week, I’m really looking forward to the game against Nathan tomorrow night.

“The atmosphere is going to be incredible. The fanbase I’ve got here in Germany is great, and it would be nice to give something back to them.”

The evening’s other quarter-final encounter pits Rob Cross against Luke Humphries, as the pair meet for the first time since their epic contest in Brighton.

Humphries landed his first televised nine-darter before succumbing to a 111 average from Cross on the south coast, which sparked a run of three consecutive quarter-final defeats for the world number one.

However, Humphries featured in last week’s Night Eight final to restore his five-point buffer in second place, while Cross has registered back-to-back wins over Price to move level with the Welshman on 12 points.

Will Littler make history in Berlin? Night Nine Preview 

2025 BetMGM Premier League

Night Nine – Thursday April 3

Uber Arena, Berlin

Quarter-Finals

Nathan Aspinall v Stephen Bunting

Luke Humphries v Rob Cross

Chris Dobey v Luke Littler

Michael van Gerwen v Gerwyn Price

Semi-Finals

Aspinall/Bunting v Humphries/Cross

Dobey/Littler v Van Gerwen/Price

Final

v

All matches best of 11 leg