Luke Littler picked up the Nightly win last Thursday and that has helped him close on Jonny Clayton and both look in a good spot to kick on and secure two of the four Play Off spots.
Only five points separate Number 3 Gerwyn Price and Number 7 Stephen Bunting and so there is still much to play for, while Josh Rock is just desperate for any win after another poor performance in Dublin.
Seeing Luke Humphries win the European Tour 3 event last weekend will give his fans plenty of reason to believe the defending Premier League Champion can kick on over the next two months and avoid an upset elimination in the Group Stage. He was clearly upset by some criticism of his 'aura' on the oche and the fact it was suggested he rolls over for Luke Littler, but Humphries used that to fuel him to a success and he will be targeting a second run to the Nightly Final on Night 8 of the tournament.
Nothing comes easy in the Premier League and the matches are being played out in Berlin this week, which may not be offering much encouragement for Luke Littler who tends to avoid playing in Germany at this stage of his career. That may change in the years ahead, but it makes Night 8 challenging for him and Luke Humphries is in the 'weaker' half as long as he can fight his way past Michael van Gerwen in the Quarter Final.
Jonny Clayton to win & most 180s v Josh Rock: Some Jonny Clayton fans may have been wondering how the Welshman would cope with a first Quarter Final loss in the 2026 Premier League on Night 7, but they had no need to be concerned.
He has been a consistent force on the Tour over the last twelve months and Clayton reached the Final of the Belgium Darts Open last weekend.
Confidence will be high, but it could not be any different for Josh Rock who lost in the Second Round in Belgium and has yet to win a single match in the Premier League. There is no doubting the quality of this player, but losses piling up can be very difficult to shake off and Josh Rock has really been struggling in the Premier League.
The Night 5 performance saw Josh Rock average over 100 in a narrow loss to Luke Littler, but he has been well beaten in the next two Premier League matches and averaged in the low 80s. That level is not going to cut the mustard when facing the kind of opponents Josh Rock meets every week in the Premier League and a heavy scoring Jonny Clayton can win this one and add another two points to his total.
Jonny Clayton continues to pile in plenty of maximums and that may see him complete the match double that his mate Gerwyn Price only just missed out last week in his whitewash of Rocky in the Quarter Final in Dublin.
Luke Humphries to win & most 180s v Michael van Gerwen: With two wins over this opponent already this month, Luke Humphries has to be confident of completing a hat-trick against Michael van Gerwen.
Neither of the last two wins have been in tough matches and Humphries is certainly playing with a lot more confidence than his opponent, even if the World Number 2 has room for improvement on the doubles.
He was better in the Belgian Darts Open success last weekend, which included a dominant Semi Final win over van Gerwen.
Three wins in Belgium will have done Michael van Gerwen the world of good as he looks to snap a four match losing run in the Premier League. After withdrawing from Night 3 with an illness, Michael van Gerwen has struggled to back up his strong start to the Premier League and Luke Humphries may have too much scoring for him again.
Luke Littler to win & most 180s v Stephen Bunting: It was far from his most impressive Nightly win in the Premier League and Luke Littler should have perhaps been beaten in the Semi Final and the Final, but he continues to find a way to win matches.
He was upset in the Third Round at the Belgium Darts Open last Sunday, which will give opponents some encouragement, while Night 8 of the Premier League is played in Berlin and everyone knows how much Littler dislikes playing in Germany.
The fans are going to try and rattle him, but Littler may still have enough to beat Stephen Bunting for a second Premier League week in a row.
Stephen Bunting averaged 104 to Littler's 105 in a defeat last week, but he may struggle to reach those levels again.
Last weekend, Stephen Bunting was beaten even earlier than Luke Littler and he has lost four matches in a row- the crowd will likely get behind him, but Littler's maximum hitting power can lead him through to a Semi Final here.
Gerwyn Price to win & most 180s v Gian van Veen: Unlike his fellow debutant, Gian van Veen was pretty comfortable in the Premier League setting in his first appearance in the tournament.
He started well enough, but the last month has been a bit more difficult with European Tour events beginning and a lot more darts than usual being played.
The form may already have slipped, but Gian van Veen is also only making his way back from a Kidney Stones operation having been forced to miss Night 7 in Dublin. He also dropped out of the European Tour 3 event and the Dutchman has admitted that he is not quite at full health right now.
This would have been a difficult match up if fully healthy, but a well rested Gerwyn Price is going to be even tougher to beat.
Night 7 ended in a strange way for Price- he had won seventeen of eighteen Legs played in Dublin and had cruised into a 5-0 lead over Luke Littler in the Final. Somehow he lost six Legs in a row to finish as Runner Up, but Gerwyn Price is considered one of the toughest players mentally on the Tour and he can take advantage of a weakened opponent.
They have met twice in the Premier League this season and both have one win apiece and eleven Legs won each.
However, Gian van Veen may need some time to get his rhythm back and this Quarter Final may be too soon after the operation last weekend.
With his maximum hitting continuing at a strong rate, the Ice Man can come through with the match double on Night 8.
MY PICKS: Jonny Clayton to Win & Most 180s @ 3.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Luke Humphries to Win & Most 180s @ 2.62 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Luke Littler to Win & Most 180s @ 1.80 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Gerwyn Price to Win & Most 180s @ 3.10 Bet365 (1 Unit)
Darts 2026: 40-52, - 4.36 Units (89 Units Staked, - 4.90% Yield)
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