Gian van Veen (Picture: Michael Cooper/PDC)
Gian van Veen will fulfil a darting dream when the Premier League returns to Rotterdam tonight.
Dutch number one Van Veen will be amongst the star attractions when the darting roadshow rolls into Rotterdam Ahoy on Night Eleven, as the race to qualify for Finals Night intensifies.
Van Veen will take on reigning Premier League champion Luke Humphries in a pivotal quarter-final showdown, with both players bidding to make up valuable ground in the race for a top four spot.
European Champion Van Veen is currently four points adrift of the Play-Off places in fifth position, while Humphries is languishing in seventh spot – a point behind Van Veen.
The 23-year-old has featured in four finals across the opening ten nights of competition, and he’s hoping a return to home soil can inspire him to an elusive first nightly victory.
“I’m very excited. It’s the night I was looking most forward to and it’s finally going to happen,” admitted the World Championship runner-up.
“I still remember the first time it was held here in Rotterdam in 2016 – I was there in the crowd.
“I would have never thought that ten years later, I would be on that stage, but here we are!
“As soon as I got the invite, the 16th of April was marked with a red circle in the calendar.
“This is something I won’t ever forget in my life so I’m mostly going to enjoy it – but of course, it’s another game and especially against Luke Humphries, a main rival for a top four spot.
“The best man on the night will win and hopefully that can be me!”
Humphries, meanwhile, is bidding to snap a four-match losing streak which stretches back to Night Seven, although he still boasts a tournament average of 100.2 – the second highest in this year’s field.
Michael van Gerwen will also headline Thursday’s play in Rotterdam, as the seven-time Premier League champion takes on current league leader Jonny Clayton in another blockbuster clash.
The pair went head-to-head in last week’s Night Ten showpiece in Brighton, where Clayton overturned a 5-2 deficit to deny Van Gerwen his second nightly victory of the campaign.
Clayton boasts a three-point lead at the Premier League summit following wins in Glasgow, Nottingham and Brighton, as he bids to qualify for Finals Night for the fourth time in as many appearances.
“It’s great to be top, but I just want to be in the top four,” affirmed Clayton, who lifted the coveted title on debut in 2021.
“If I’m first, second, third or fourth, I really don’t care, I just want to be at the O2 on Night 17.
“I wouldn’t say it’s done for the Play-Offs, but I think if I can pick a few more points up, two points maybe, then maybe I can say it’s done.
“Obviously I have a good buffer between myself and fifth, so fingers crossed I will be there.”
Luke Littler and Gerwyn Price will lock horns in Thursday’s opening tie, with both players bidding to bounce back from quarter-final exits in Brighton.
Littler recorded the lowest televised average of his PDC career in defeat to Stephen Bunting, while Price succumbed to a resurgent Josh Rock on the south coast.
However, Littler remains nine points above fifth, with Price occupying third place in the table following his victories in Antwerp and Manchester respectively.
Bunting and Rock will then lock horns for a place in the semi-finals, where Van Gerwen or Clayton will await the winner.
Bunting’s victory over Littler last week saw him leapfrog Humphries into sixth spot, as Rock continued his positive trajectory with a third consecutive quarter-final win at Price’s expense.
Ranking points are awarded per night – with five to the winner, three to the runner-up and two to the semi-finalists – to form the league table from which the top four players will progress to Finals Night at The O2 in London on Thursday May 28.
SCHEDULE
Quarter-Finals
Luke Littler v Gerwyn Price
Gian van Veen v Luke Humphries
Michael van Gerwen v Jonny Clayton
Stephen Bunting v Josh Rock
