Luke Humphries is making sure to not “count his chickens” despite everyone tipping another Premier League Darts final between the world No 1 and Luke Littler on Thursday night.
Littler and Humphries finished first and second in the table after the regular weeks of the Premier League, putting in classic matches against one another across the 16 weeks.
It would also be a replay of the epic 2024 final which saw Littler hit a nine-darter on the way to the win on his debut.
Despite the world No 1 knowing why the ‘two Lukes’ are being tipped to do battle again, he is not overlooking what will be a huge semi-final against Nathan Aspinall.
Across their careers, Humphries has had the better of Aspinall, winning 13 of their 21 bouts, but on the biggest stages anything can happen.
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“I’ve got to get past Nathan (Aspinall) first and if I do get past Nathan I might not be playing Luke (Littler), I might be playing Gerwyn (Price),” Humphries said.
“You can’t predict anything in darts. You’ve got four great darts players in the semi-finals.
“Any one of us can win. All four of us can win that trophy tomorrow.
“I think it is a mistake if you think that you’re going to be playing someone in the final before they actually win the game first itself.
“So yeah, I’m not going to count my chickens yet before I’ve actually been made the final.”
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Although Humphries would love to add a Premier League title to his ever-growing cabinet, he is making sure that he does not go in feeling the pressure.
“If I can go and win it, then I’d be super happy. But I’m starting to get to that point now in my career where I’m not putting that pressure on my shoulders anymore.
“I’m just here to enjoy myself and try and win as many major tournaments as I can. I just love being involved.
“That’s what I like. Being here and being a part of a special occasion like this is just what I live for, so I’m just happy that I’m here.”
Aspinall: It is a dream to play at The O2 | I relish being the underdog
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Nathan Aspinall heads into Finals Night as the underdog, knowing he will have two huge matches in order to lift the title at a venue he has been dreaming of playing at.
Aspinall has made it to Finals Night before but with it being back in 2020, the event took place in Milton Keynes behind closed doors, ‘The Asp’ eventually losing 11-8 to Glen Durrant in the final.
With his inclusion in this year’s Premier League questioned when he was announced as part of the eight-player line-up, Aspinall has proven the doubters wrong and believes he could take that one step further with a “dream” win that would rank as the best night of his life on Thursday, seeing the underdog beat them all.
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“I think all I say on the subject is the PDC got it right,” Aspinall said.
“I’ve always had the belief in my own ability. The people around me always say that when I play in the Premier League, I’m playing regular against the best of the best all the time. It makes my game go higher and higher.
“And I think that’s what’s happened. I’m more consistent now than I’ve been in probably the last two years.
“After 10 years, everyone always writes me off and calls me the underdog. And, you know, I love that title.
“There is no pressure on my shoulders tomorrow. No one’s expecting me to win my first game, let alone win the night.”
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Up to this point, winning the Matchplay would rank as Aspinall’s biggest ever win, but he admits that reigning supreme on the O2 stage would top that.
“The Matchplay was probably the second biggest tournament in darts,” he added.
“I think to come through the field that I would have had to come through, you know, the two games that I’ve got to win tomorrow to lift that trophy, it would definitely be up there with probably the biggest night of my life if I do go on and win it.
“So, there’s four of us left. It’s all in the night. I think you’ve seen all season these different finals, different winners. And hopefully tomorrow is my night.”
Watch or stream Finals Night on Sky Sports
The Premier League concludes at the O2 arena, London on Thursday May 29 as table-topping Luke Littler plays Gerwyn Price in the first semi-final, and Luke Humphries faces Nathan Aspinall in the race to 10 legs with the final a race to 11. Watch Finals Night of Premier League Darts, in London, live on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports+ from 7pm – stream with NOW.
Sky Sports is once again be the home of the Premier League in 2025, with every night exclusively live along with the World Matchplay, World Grand Prix, Grand Slam of Darts and more! Stream darts and more top sport with NOW
