Gerwyn Price and Luke Littler will go head-to-head in the Premier League Play-Off semi-finals on Thursday night, with the pair sharing a respectful rivalry in the world of darts
Gerwyn Price has previously praised Luke Littler for doing “wonders for the sport”, but as they prepare to battle in Thursday’s Premier League Play-Offs, all pleasantries are on hold. Since bursting onto the scene at Ally Pally in 2023, The Nuke has been tearing through the PDC, becoming world champion in January.
Despite his success, Welshman Price often comes out on top against the 18-year-old, holding a 7-6 lead in their head-to-head record. However, Littler has recently snapped a six-match losing streak to Price, winning their last two encounters.
Ahead of their face-off at the O2 Arena, Price expressed confidence in his mental game and believes that he will come out on top in London.
“I’m thinking I’m going to win,” he told talkSPORT. “Obviously, I’m playing really well. I’ve got a good record over young Luke, and he’ll be thinking about it more than I will.
“I don’t really care who I play. The only thing leading up to it is how I’m going to play, and I can usually tell three hours before the game when I’m practising whether I’m on it or not.”
Despite being the younger contender, Littler isn’t shy about psychological warfare either, having taunted Price before their imminent clash. The current Premier League champ topped the leaderboard and bagged his sixth season win by defeating Luke Humphries 6-3 in Sheffield’s final last week, reports the Express.
Price began the evening in third but was overtaken by Aspinall, who triumphed 6-2 over Michael van Gerwen and then fell 6-4 to Littler. The Iceman’s early exit to Chris Dobey means he must now defeat the world No. 2 in London for a chance at his first Premier League title.
After the match, Littler cheekily suggested Price made a tactical blunder: “Gezzy tonight, if he won, he would have jumped to third,” he remarked during his press conference. “Is that a mistake? Because I’m certainly ready for next week.”
Despite their competitive banter, it’s evident there’s mutual admiration between these darts titans. In March, after besting Littler on Night Six of the Premier League in Nottingham, Price praised the young star on Sky Sports.
“I wanted to get another win over Luke just to keep on top,” he admitted. “He’s one of the best in the world and he’s going to be for the next few years. He’s going to get better and better.
“Only the younger generations can stop him, we can’t stop him. Luke has been phenomenal for darts. We all need to start winning now because in a few years, he’ll be untouchable.”
Ahead of their quarter-final clash in Manchester in April, Littler also shared his thoughts on facing Price, saying: “I wouldn’t say I’m motivated to beat him, obviously I want to try and beat him, but I won’t go on stage saying to myself: ‘You need to win this, you need to win this.’
“I’ll just go up on stage with the same mindset of winning that first game and getting two points on the board. I know he’s obviously got the record and he knows how to beat me but hopefully I can try and get that win over him.”
Littler, the current favourite to claim the title, will be looking to continue his form. Meanwhile, the second semi-final at the O2 will see Humphries take on Nathan Aspinall.
