This article and interview comes courtesy of SportsBoom.

Tomorrow marks the final night of the 16-week league phase of the 2025 Premier League of Darts, with the Steel City of Sheffield playing host to the sport's elite inside the Utilita Arena.

Reigning world champion Luke Littler has already wrapped up top spot and his place at the O2 in London, amassing an eye-catching 40 points – nine clear of world number one Luke Humphries in second. Littler also boasts a record-breaking five nightly wins. Humphries and Welshman Gerwyn Price have also secured their places in next week's Playoffs.

Winner takes all: Aspinall vs. MVG

But while three of the four spots are sewn up, the final ticket to London is still up for grabs – and it will all come down to a high-stakes showdown between Nathan Aspinall and Michael van Gerwen in the opening match of the night.

Aspinall took a huge step toward qualification with victory in Aberdeen last week – his second nightly win of the season – putting him four points clear of Van Gerwen in the table. A win against the Dutchman in the quarterfinals would seal his place at the O2.

Van Gerwen, on the other hand, must go all the way and win the night to have any hope of progressing – a tall order given he is the only player this season yet to register a single nightly triumph.

Adding to the spice, this winner-takes-all clash comes with the added narrative of Aspinall's recent dominance in the fixture. He has won four of their last five encounters, including their last meeting just a week ago.

The Asp wants to avoid Littler

Ahead of the decisive evening, Aspinall visited Hadfield Infant School in Glossop, where his daughter Milly is a pupil. The visit coincided with National Numeracy Day, as the PDC ran two sessions of their Bullseye Maths programme – aimed at promoting maths through darts – with Milly's Year 2 class.

The Bullseye Maths initiative, launched in 2022, highlights the strong link between the sport and numeracy, aiming to boost confidence in maths among young children.

Despite only needing one win to book his place in the playoffs, Aspinall has his sights set higher.

The 32-year-old wants more than just qualification – he's aiming to leapfrog Price into third place in the final table.

That would see him avoid a daunting semi-final matchup against Littler, who has become a bogey player for Aspinall. The teenage sensation has beaten him in their last 11 meetings, with Aspinall's sole win coming over a year ago in Liverpool during the 2024 Premier League.

"I want to win the night. I want to finish third, it's as simple as that. There's another trophy, there's another 10 grand, there's another five points up for grabs."

"I'm not going to sit here and lie; everyone knows my record against Littler is abysmal. I'm well aware of that.

"There's no disputing Luke Humphries is still as good as Littler, I just struggle to close games out against Littler, we've seen it in many games this Premier League season and it's really annoying."

"If I could finish third and play Humphries. Then if I beat him, Littler in the final. Then it's just one game, who knows."

"I could get that monkey off my shoulder in the biggest game of my career against him."

Van Gerwen no longer the fearsome force

Standing in his way is a man who needs no introduction – three-time world champion Michael van Gerwen.

But this is not the MVG of old. The Dutchman's aura has been called into question this season by pundits like Colin Lloyd and Glenn Durrant, who believe he has lost the fear factor that once made him untouchable.

It's an assessment that Aspinall agrees with – and he's confident heading into their pivotal showdown.

"We all know Michael's not the same animal as he was a few years ago. I've got Michael in my pocket at the minute."

"I think he [MVG] looked really nervous last Thursday, even in the build-up before the game. He just didn't look his usual confident self."

"All the pressure is on him tomorrow. What he's got to do to qualify is a tough ask."

Critics silenced as Aspinall nears O2 debut

The Stockport thrower's impressive run in this year's campaign has silenced early-season doubters.

Many questioned his inclusion in the 2025 lineup given he was ranked outside the top eight at the time, but Aspinall has more than justified his selection and is now on the brink of his first appearance at the O2.

He's made the final four of the Premier League twice before – in 2020 and 2021 – but both events were staged behind closed doors in Coventry and Milton Keynes due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This time, he's hungry for the full experience under the O2 lights.

"All the criticism and the scrutiny from the darts fans, and pundits that I shouldn't have been in the Premier League. Me and Gezzy [Gerwyn Price] have proven our worth hands down."

"Not just the things we bring to stage, but the results that we've been getting all year."

Aspinall fancies a fitting finale

It hasn't just been Aspinall who's had to prove himself. Price, too, was the subject of criticism before a dart was thrown. And with both now having silenced their critics, Aspinall admits it would be fitting if he and the Welshman ended up facing off in this year's final.

"How funny would it be if we both made the final, that's all I'm saying," he concluded.

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(Nathan Aspinall image by Sandro Halank, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0)

(Michael van Gerwen image by Sandro Halank, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0)