Jonny Clayton and Luke Littler will clash in Thursday's Premier League quarter-final at the SSE Arena in Belfast, with Clayton aiming to repeat his recent victory over the world number one. The Welshman defeated Littler 6-1 in the semi-finals of the Glasgow edition of the competition, a defeat that matched Littler's joint-heaviest reverse since joining the Premier League. Clayton's win helped him move to the summit of the Premier League leaderboard.
Littler, who sits sixth in the standings level on points with reigning champion Luke Humphries, bounced back by winning his fifth European Tour title at the inaugural Poland Darts Open on Sunday. Clayton, a two-time World Cup champion, expressed his enthusiasm for the big stage, saying: "This is where I want to be, playing darts on the biggest stages. The crowds are fantastic. You look around and the venues are massive. There is no better feeling, it's a great feeling. I'm enjoying myself, and when you enjoy what you're doing, things seem to happen for you. I've been here before, I've done this before, so I know how important points are week in, week out, and it's going okay so far."
In other quarter-final action, Luke Humphries will face Stephen Bunting, with the winner set to meet either Littler or Clayton in the semi-finals. Humphries averaged 106 in beating Josh Rock on the third night in Scotland but squandered match darts for a second consecutive week, this time against Gian van Veen in the last four. Rock and Bunting are yet to secure their first victories of the Premier League season, with Rock losing to Clayton, Michael van Gerwen, and Humphries in quarter-finals so far. Van Veen has made a strong start, advancing to nightly finals in Newcastle and Glasgow, though Rock has won each of his last four meetings against the 2025 European Championship winner and twice World Youth champion.
The remaining quarter-final pits seven-time champion Michael van Gerwen against 2023 runner-up Gerwyn Price, a repeat of Antwerp's Night Two decider. Van Gerwen, who won the first week of the competition, withdrew from last week's event in Scotland due to a medical issue but sits just one point off top spot in the standings. Clayton's path to victory in Glasgow included a 6-2 win over Van Veen in the final, where he averaged over 104 and clinched victory with a 156 checkout. The quarter-finals, semi-finals, and final will all be best of 11 legs, with live text commentary available on the BBC Sport website and app.
