Michael van Gerwen is five points ahead of Gerwyn Price at the top of the Premier League Darts table after nine nights; the players move on to Birmingham for night 10 which is live on Sky Sports Action from 7pm on Thursday
Monday 3 April 2023 14:08, UK
Michael van Gerwen will finish top of the Premier League Darts table but it will be all to play for in the second half of the season, according to Dan Dawson.
Speaking on the Love The Darts podcast, Dawson believes the only player who can topple the Dutchman from top spot is Gerwyn Price.
After nine nights, Van Gerwen sits top of the table with 25 points and Price is in second with 20. It is then a further five points back to Michael Smith and Nathan Aspinall.
Price beat the Dutchman at the International Darts Open on Sunday, and Dawson believes the two, who have both prevailed on three nights so far, will continue fighting it out for the top spot with seven nights remaining before the Play-Offs
"There is only one challenger in Price, who is going to be consistently up there. Michael is going to be winning enough," Dawson said.
"It's hard enough to stop MVG from being top of the Premier League table anyway. If he has a head start, it's going to be almost impossible.
"It's going to be a very interesting battle between those two, and I expect them to run into each other quite a lot in the second half of the season.
"But because he has a bit of a head start, even if Price gets the better of him he will still have to do quite a lot.
"MVG will finish top, but once you get to the Play-Offs it's going to be a one-off if they end up meeting."
The players return to the UK after night nine was held in Berlin and will descend on the Utilita Arena in Birmingham on Thursday.
Aspinall is very much in the mix for the Play-Offs and currently sits in fourth place, with a cushion of three points back to fifth-placed Jonny Clayton.
The Englishman has notched 15 points but is yet to win a night after faltering at the semi-final stage five times in six attempts.
Speaking on the podcast, Aspinall said he will be looking to address his poor semi-final run in the second half of the season.
"I am happy I am in the top four. My target was to win the first game and I have kind of done that," he said.
"I have lost five out of six semi-finals, which is a poor return in my eyes. I put all my effort and focus into the first game, but my second performance of the night is dreadful.
"That is something I have to try and work on in the second half of the season and keep the performance level up in the second game.
"My prep when I come back off stage, I get myself too pumped up, it's only just one game. It is my own fault, and I should do what Michael does."
Listen to the Love The Darts podcast on Spotify and watch the Premier League Darts live on Sky Sports Action from 7pm on Thursday.
