Luke Littler moved to the top of the Premier League table after back-to-back nightly victories in Belfast and Manchester.
The Nuke sits one point above Luke Humphries, with Cool Hand having previously enjoyed success in Brighton, Nottingham and Dublin.
Littler and Humphries are on course for a semi-final showdown should they come through quarter-finals against Rob Cross and Peter Wright respectively.
Time is running out for Gerwyn Price to reach the top four and a quarter-final against Michael Smith is a must-win for the Iceman.
Michael van Gerwen and Nathan Aspinall are also under pressure to hold on to their play-off positions and that duo complete the last-eight line-up.
- Luke Littler -1.5 legs v Rob Cross
- Nathan Aspinall to beat Michael van Gerwen
- Gerwyn Price (each-way) to win Week 11
Littler Can Power Past Voltage
It’s four nights of Premier League action without a victory for Cross and a quarter-final tie against Littler looks far from an ideal tonic.
A 86.29 three-dart average in a 6-3 loss to Wright in Belfast was a worrying performance and midweek Players Championship defeats to Richie Edhouse and Stefan Bellmont hardly inspire confidence.
Littler is looking for a third straight nightly victory after success in Manchester and Belfast,and win or lose, the 17-year-old has been churning out consistent high-level performances.
The Nuke should be far too good for Cross and he can give Voltage a 1.5-leg start on the handicap.
LUKE LITTLER -1.5 LEGS V ROB CROSS
Asp Can Extend MVG’s Problems
Van Gerwen has won only one match in the last six weeks of Premier League action and it’s a worrying drop-off for MVG, who sat at the top of the table for much of the early part of the competition.
The Green Machine was taken apart by Littler in Manchester last week and Mighty Mike’s 6-4 victory over Smith in Belfast in the previous round of action is all he has to show for the last six nights of competition.
There were defeats to Ian White and Andrew Gilding in Leicester earlier this week and Aspinall looks good value to add to the Dutchman’s woes.
The Asp has made four nightly finals in this year’s Premier League, the Stockport man has won six of his ten quarter-finals and the Matchplay champion can strike in Birmingham.
NATHAN ASPINALL TO BEAT MICHAEL VAN GERWEN
Price Can Star In Birmingham
With Littler and Humphries on course for a semi-final showdown, the path looks clear for Price to at least make the final.
The Iceman needs a big performance in Birmingham if he is to keep his play-off hopes alive and there was a lot to like about the Markham man’s performances in the Players Championship this week.
Price recorded averages of 100.96, 101.66, 104.58 and 113.05 in his four matches of the Players Championship 8 event in Leicester and those numbers suggest that the Iceman can freeze out his Premier League rivals.
GERWYN PRICE (EACH-WAY) TO WIN WEEK 11
