Premier League Darts heads to Glasgow for Night 3 this Thursday, but the anticipated clash between Michael van Gerwen and reigning world champion Luke Littler is off. Van Gerwen has been forced to withdraw due to illness, handing Littler a bye to the semi-finals and a guaranteed point, while Van Gerwen is penalized with a -6 leg difference. The night's headline quarterfinal is now a Welsh derby between Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price.
After two nights, Van Gerwen still tops the table with 8 points, having won the opening night and reached the final last week, where he lost to Gerwyn Price. Price sits second with 5 points, followed by Jonny Clayton in third with 4 points and Gian van Veen in fourth with 3 points. Luke Littler and Luke Humphries are fifth and sixth with just 2 points each, while Stephen Bunting and Josh Rock remain on 0 points.
The schedule opens with Gian van Veen facing Stephen Bunting. Van Veen, a World Championship finalist, has impressed on his Premier League debut, reaching the final on the opening night and narrowly losing in the semifinals to Gerwyn Price last week. Bunting has lost his opening matches 6-2 to Michael van Gerwen and 6-4 to Jonny Clayton. Their head-to-head favors Bunting, who has won six of their 10 meetings, including three of four TV matches.
Next, Luke Humphries meets Josh Rock. Humphries has played two strong matches but lost, including having three match darts to beat Luke Littler last week. Rock lost his opener to a rampant Jonny Clayton on the first night and managed just a 79 average in a 6-2 loss last week. Humphries leads their head-to-head 4-3, winning the last three encounters. The quarterfinal between Jonny Clayton and Gerwyn Price is a rematch of last week's semi-final in Antwerp, which Price won 6-5. Price also won Night Two, beating Gian van Veen 6-5 and Clayton 6-5 before defeating Van Gerwen 6-3 in the final. Clayton has won his opening match both weeks but fell in the semi-finals. Price leads their overall head-to-head 28-12 and has won 10 in a row since Clayton's last victory in the 2023 Premier League, with the Premier League head-to-head at 6-3 in Price's favor.
