Premier League Darts Night 1 Picks 2026 (Thursday 5th February)

The first World Ranking tournament of the 2026 season was won by Luke Littler, but fans of the sport have to be really glad to have seen the likes of Gerwyn Price and Luke Humphries push him all of the way.

Ultimately they came up short, which is a disappointment for a sport that has been dominated by Littler over the last twelve months, but the fact that neither rolled over for the top player in the World can only be a positive.

We will get to see how much of a positive the rest of the top names in the field will take from those Semi Final and Final matches at the World Masters when the Premier League begins on Thursday and is played through to the end of May.

Luke Littler has appeared in the Premier League twice before, but he will not be the defending Champion this year having won on his debut, but beaten by rival Luke Humphries last year.

These two players have faced one another in the Final in each of the last two years and are expected to be the dominant forces in the tournament again.

It is Luke Littler who has topped the final standings in each of the last two years having competed in 15/32 Finals in the weekly events and he has only lost his first match seven times- a player who clearly gets stronger and stronger as he builds the matches under his belt continues to be the one to beat, although he is expected to be followed into the Semi Final by Luke Humphries who has finished second in each of the last two years before splitting title wins.

Both should be capable of moving through to the next Semi Finals at the O2 Arena in May, but picking another two players to head through with the two Lukes is a tougher task.

With some of the external criticism clearly getting to Stephen Bunting, you have to believe the World Number 7 is going to be playing with additional pressure having continued to proclaim he deserves his place in the Premier League. He finished bottom of the standings last season and things could spiral for Bunting if he is not able to make a fast start in 2026, and it is hard to make a case for him to finish in the top four.

The other five players making up the eight all will have their backers- Josh Rock is making his debut in the Premier League, but is clearly talented enough to find some consistent rhythm to become very dangerous, while Gian van Veen is going to go very close if he can deal with the nerves of playing in this format every week for the first time.

Michael van Gerwen did not have a good World Masters, but he reached two Finals in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia last month and has so much experience in the Premier League, while Gerwyn Price looks to have continued his consistently good form and is the one player that seems to be avoid being intimidated by the current top two in the World Rankings.

And Jonny Clayton is a former winner- this is his fourth appearance in the Premier League and he has yet to miss out on the Playoffs, which makes his short odds for finishing bottom look disrespectful.

Unsurprisingly Luke Littler will go into the Premier League as favourite, and he will likely be a favourite to win every Night over the course of the tournament.

He has not won on Night 1 in either of the last two years and Littler would have put in a lot of mental effort in winning the Masters on Sunday, which could leave him vulnerable.

However, he is in the weaker half of the draw and you would make him the favourite if he can beat Gian van Veen in the Quarter Final.

Michael van Gerwen is perhaps the most intriguing price to earn a spot in the Playoff in May, but there will be no outright selections after thinking about backing Josh Rock to finish bottom in his debut season, but believing things could unravel for Stephen Bunting for a second year in a row.

Jonny Clayton v Josh Rock: Both players had a decent showing at the World Masters, but would have been disappointed with how the tournament ended.

Jonny Clayton may be particularly aggrieved having blown a big lead in the 4-3 defeat to Gerwyn Price, while Josh Rock did reach the Quarter Final before being crushed by Luke Littler.

Both will be looking to make a fast start to the Premier League and these are the kind of Quarter Final matches that can make a big impact in the final standings. The likes of Luke Littler and Luke Humphries will have the consistency for enough deep runs so the points that can be produced against the others are that much more important, which puts some pressure on both Clayton and Rock.

The Welshman is a former Premier League Winner and that experience may give him the edge- he looked to be scoring a little better than Josh Rock at the World Masters and Clayton may just have the stronger finishing that gives him the edge in this opening 2026 Premier League match.

Luke Littler to win & over 3.5 180s: After the crushing win in the World Championship Final, Luke Littler will be keen to keep the dominance going against Gian van Veen, one of his potential big rivals on the Tour over the coming twelve months.

He started slowly when these two met in Saudi Arabia last month, but Luke Littler rallied and he has the consistency of the power scoring that can take him away from the World Number 3.

Gian van Veen does push Littler with his own heavy scoring, but he has been feeling a pressure facing his old rival and matches have tended to fall away from him.

Big 180 hitting encourages Luke Littler to do the same and you have to expect the top player in the world to continue to hit those big trebles in this Quarter Final.

Luke Littler remains the big maximum hitter on the Tour and was in strong enough form to win the World Masters on Sunday.

Perhaps that means he has some fatigue to shake off, even four days later, which is maybe the best chance Gian van Veen will have in winning his debut match in the Premier League.

It all feels unlikely though and Littler should be able to find at least four maximums in any winning effort on Night 1.

Gerwyn Price over 2.5 180s & 1+ 180 checkout: There is no doubt that Gerwyn Price feels inspired when it comes to battling either of the two Lukes at the top of the World Rankings.

He got the better of Humphries in Saudi Arabia and beat Littler in Bahrain last month, while the Ice Man was a dart away from beating the latter in the World Masters Semi Final last week.

The layers are very much aware of the form that Gerwyn Price has been putting together over the last twelve months and the head to head with Luke Humphries and Luke Littler.

This is reflected in the price for this Night 1 Quarter Final and it should be noted that Gerwyn Price has won the last five matches against Luke Humphries in the best of eleven Leg format. During that time Luke Humphries has won a best of thirteen Leg match as well as beating Price in the Grand Slam Semi Final 16-13, but the shorter formats have tended to lean in favour of the Welshman.

He is odds against to reach six Legs first on Thursday, but that is also down to the respect that Luke Humphries deserves after putting in some top quality performances at the World Masters.

Luke Humphries is keen to build on that run to the Final and he was throwing with real confidence last week, which suggests this is a Quarter Final that could go nine or more Legs.

Instead of backing a winner, it may pay out to look for Gerwyn Price to hit a couple of statistical marks.

He continues to hit plenty of 180s and Price will be looking to put a combination finish or two on the board in his bid to earn another victory over Luke Humphries.

Gerwyn Price had six triple digit checkouts in his four matches at the Masters and he looks capable of finding at least one in this Quarter Final to go with some big maximum hitting.

Michael van Gerwen to Win & Stephen Bunting most 180s: In a race to six, you would naturally feel the player hitting the most maximums would win.

In a lot of cases that will be true, but two of the last four races to six legs between these two players has seen the player with more 180s actually go on to lose.

Last week at the Masters, Stephen Bunting's maximum hitting was not the issue, but his finishing has been and he has lost to Michael van Gerwen twice last month, which is going to be an obstacle to overcome.

It wasn't the Masters that van Gerwen would have expected, but there are definitely stronger signs coming into the latest edition of the Premier League after missing the Playoff last year.

There have been more maximums thrown by MvG last month than we have come to expect from him in recent times, but he is still a little short of his absolute best. He still scores well enough and will also finish with some authority that may give him the edge in this Quarter Final and it is a big quote for the Dutchman to win a match in which he throws fewer maximums.

Stephen Bunting will likely need to win three or four Legs to ensure this happens, but both matches in the Middle East last month ended with ten Legs played and that may be enough for the former 'People's Champion' to hit the most maximums, even in a losing effort.

MY PICKS: Jonny Clayton @ 2.25 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)

Luke Littler to Win & Over 3.5 180s @ 2.00 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Gerwyn Price Over 2.5 180s & 1+ 100+ Checkouts @ 2.90 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Michael van Gerwen to Win & Stephen Bunting Most 180s @ 3.20 Bet365 (1 Unit)

Darts 2026: 5-6, + 0.79 Units (11 Units Staked, + 7.18% Yield)

Things we Learned from the Weekend Football (October 22-24)

It wasn't a horrible weekend for the picks as I actually came away with a small profit, although it could have been so much better if Chelsea had not faltered at QPR... Still it makes a change from the horrendous September I suffered.

This would have been written on Monday usually, but I have barely recovered from the Manchester Derby on Sunday and only now feel a little better.

Here are a few of my thoughts from the last few days:

1) It was coming...: I have been a little pessimistic about Manchester United's performances so far this season, with only a couple being really good, while the vulnerability at the back had me musing that we were going to take a beating at one point or another.


Now I predicted that shelling may have come at Anfield last weekend, but Sir Alex must have felt the same negative vibes and ensured he played a team that could defend from the front and make life difficult for Liverpool, although we may have been a touch fortunate to escape with a draw after they created 2/3 very good chances in the last 10 minutes.


On Sunday, the onus was on us, as the home team, to push the game forward, but once Jonny Evans was sent off, it was always going to be a mountain to climb with the movement City have in their forward players.


That does not excuse the ridiculous defending from our boys at the end of the game, something that the boss seemed to agree with, as we went in search of a consolation after City went 1-4 up. At that point we should have settled for the loss and maintained some element of a goal difference, but to concede 2 more goals in the last 3 minutes is sloppy at best, and naive and stupid at worst.


I was vastly disappointed with the 'fans' who started leaving Old Trafford once City went 0-3 up (that is the time to support the boys who are trying their asses off, not the time to desert them). These are the same fools who make the most noise when United win trophies, yet leave the boys in their time of need... 


I have seen a couple of beatings in my life, but I have NEVER left the stadium early and I was disgusted with those who think that is the best way to support United, especially in a game of this magnitude. The same thing happened in a 1-4 loss to Liverpool a couple of years ago, although those season ticket holders were given a crushing time the week after when they returned to their seats.


Don't get me wrong though, I think I came out with more curses than I have in all of 2011 when United conceded the 6th.


2) Chelsea may have lost, but come out with plenty of credit: There were another bunch of controversial decisions from Chris Foy, who I personally cannot stand as a referee, that left Chelsea in a big hole on Sunday, but the fans have to be pleased with the effort and desire they showed in the 2nd half to almost come back and snatch something from this game.


1-0 down with 9 men is usually a damage limitation exercise, but Chelsea created chances and were very unfortunate to get nothing from this game.


This tells me that Andre Villa-Boas has created a real good atmosphere at the club and they are willing to fight for one another and that can only lead to good things for the Blues in the coming months.


3) Do the Wolves fans feel a little silly now: I really am no great fan of Mick McCarthy, and haven't been since he removed Roy Keane from the World Cup in 2002, but he didn't deserve the level of abuse he took in the Wolves-Swansea game at the weekend.


Yes, Wolves are struggling... Yes, even I was wondering what he McCarthy was playing at with his substitutions... Yes, being 0-2 down at home to Swansea is not good for a team that wants to survive in the Premier League... But McCarthy did not deserve chants of 'you're getting sacked in the morning' and 'you don't know what you're doing' considering where he has brought Wolves in his time as manager of the club.


I noticed McCarthy also came out today and described those fans as 'idiotic', probably not the wisest move considering they are playing Manchester City at home on Wednesday night, but I can understand his frustrations.


You could see it in his face after the game how annoyed McCarthy was, but the only way to get the fans off his back is by leading Wolves back to winning ways. The 6th November home game against Wigan is going to be pivotal.


4) Racism again takes centre stage: I don't know what to make of the latest issue involving John Terry and Anton Ferdinand, just a week after the Patrice Evra-Luis Suarez issue.


This was apparently brought up by a spectator who could read what John Terry was saying, although there hasn't been too much coming out of the QPR camp so far, and I don't have a clue what is going to happen from here.


The FA cannot be too pleased with all this, especially considering it started during the latest in the 'Kick It Out' campaign that has been so successful over the years.


5) Can Newcastle really get a Champions League place?: Newcastle have picked up 19 points, the same number as Chelsea, in the early part of the season, but they have taken advantage of a soft schedule. To be fair, you can only beat what is placed in front of you, but the next 6 weeks will tell the Toon Army all they need to know about their team.


Newcastle's next 5 games are : Stoke City (a), Everton (h), Manchester City (a), Manchester United (a) and Chelsea (h)... If they are still in 4th place after that run of games, then I would say get dreaming of a European adventure to all Geordies out there.

Saturday 13th August Football Picks (English and Scottish Premier League)

Finally... After 2 loooong months, football is finally back in its finest form as the English Premier League returns to action. After all the riots that broke out up and down the country over the last week, it will be nice to be able to sit down and be entertained for 90 minutes and forget about all the crap... well unless you have a ticket for Ewood Park to see Blackburn play Wolves (sorry Blackburn and Wolves fans).

It is always tough to predict how teams will react at this stage of the season as new signings are blooded and different teams will be at different stages of the return to full match fitness. For that reason alone I would not launch myself into a 2 footed tackle (my fault for following Rio Ferdinand's Twitter page) and dive into big picks.

Instead, I have had a look through the Saturday coupon and picked out the following matches:

Liverpool v Sunderland (http://www.goonersguide.com/football-pick-11300-Liverpool-v-Sunderland.htm)

Fulham v Aston Villa (http://www.goonersguide.com/football-pick-11306-Fulham-v-Aston-Villa.htm)

Newcastle United v Arsenal (http://www.goonersguide.com/football-pick-11301-Newcastle-United-v-Arsenal.htm)

Inverness CT v Rangers (http://www.goonersguide.com/football-pick-11317-Inverness-CT-v-Rangers.htm)

You can either just skip to the bottom of the post for my picks or read my full thoughts at the links provided in the brackets


MY PICKS: Liverpool win to nil @ 2.50 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Fulham @ 2.20 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)
Newcastle United-Arsenal Under 2.5 Goals @ 2.05 Pinnacle (1 Unit)
Rangers win to nil @ 2.38 Ladbrokes (1 Unit)


AUGUST FOOTBALL UPDATE: 3-4, - 2.1 Units

Update to 'Who is getting relegated from the Premier League?'

I was thinking back to my predictions yesterday, and it dawned on me that I had missed a vital piece of the relegation puzzle... Newcastle United.

The Magpies play 4 teams who are below them in the League, and I was not too favourable of their chances to get the necessary points to survive. Take a look why:

Newcastle United, 36 Points
Wolves (H)- 1 Point, see Wolves

Aston Villa (A)- 0 Points, see Aston Villa

Manchester United (H)- the game takes place 3 days after the Cup Semi Final between United and Manchester City, so there is a chance here for Newcastle to cause a surprise. I just think United will be more focused, regardless of the City result, and pick up a big win at a venue they enjoy, 0 Points

Blackpool (A)- 0 Points, see Blackpool

Liverpool (A)- Liverpool will still be fighting for a top 5 berth, and I can see Andy Carroll haunting his former club, o Points

Birmingham (H)- 1 Point, see Birmingham

Chelsea (A)- the Blues should be too good and may still be in the title race if they have got a result at Old Trafford the week before, 0 Points

West Brom (H)- 1 Point, see West Brom

Newcastle 39 Points


Now that would mean the Newcastle-West Brom game on the final day could decide who goes down. Newcastle's goal difference is vastly superior at the moment so would survive on goal difference if my predictions are correct, BUT you can back Newcastle at 15.0 to go down right at this moment.

I can assure you that that price will be far shorter if it does indeed come to a last day shootout between Newcastle and West Brom and so surely a unit on the Magpies going down is not a bad shout.

They may beat Wolves next week at home and all of this will be a moot point, but they are struggling for form, just got thumped 4-0 at Stoke, are having problems in defence and scoring goals, and could be the side dragged down into a relegation battle from what looks like a position of safety.

Newcastle to be relegated @ 15.0 (1 Unit)