Gerwyn Price has warned Gian van Veen he will show ‘no mercy’ when they meet on stage as the BetMGM Premier League Darts moves to Berlin on Thursday.
Van Veen returned to the tour after missing last week’s night in Dublin and a European Tour event in Belgium to undergo surgery for kidney stones. The world championship finalist travelled to Germany despite feeling fatigued and low on energy.
Price said he understands how difficult it is to miss events and let points slip, and admitted he even joked with Van Veen that maybe he should have taken another week off. He added that he’s pleased to see him back but is intent on winning: he hopes Van Veen is fit, yet quipped he’d rather his rival ‘can’t throw darts’ so he can be ruthless on stage.
Michael van Gerwen expressed sympathy for Van Veen, noting how demanding the Premier League can be. He emphasised that players are only human and the combination of short formats, heavy travel and facing top opponents week after week can take its toll, particularly for someone who has missed points in the table.
Van Gerwen also defended Luke Humphries after content creator Charlie Murphy questioned Humphries’ ‘stage aura’. Humphries, who lifted his ninth European Tour title in Wieze with a victory over Jonny Clayton, shrugged off the criticism and received backing from Van Gerwen, who called him a superb player and competitor.
Humphries said the Wieze win was a big boost. He described putting in the work to push himself and be the best player he can be, and said winning trophies matters a great deal. He acknowledged that dry spells make things harder and bring extra nerves, but hopes the recent success will help him keep pushing.
Teenager Luke Littler is aiming to move to the top of the table in Berlin. The 2024 champion notched his second nightly win of the season in Dublin, fighting back from large deficits to beat both Van Gerwen and Price. Littler sits three points behind league leader Jonny Clayton and said he wants to finish top again after doing so the last two years.
What’s happening in Berlin: Night Eight takes place on Thursday, March 26 at the Mercedes-Benz Arena. Quarter-final pairings are set by the standings going into the night and are as follows:
– Jonny Clayton vs Josh Rock
– Luke Humphries vs Michael van Gerwen
– Luke Littler vs Stephen Bunting
– Gerwyn Price vs Gian van Veen
Luke Humphries enters the event as the defending Premier League champion this year.