The Premier League of Darts powers on into Week Seven at Cardiff’s Utilita Arena on Thursday night.
Gerwyn Price downed Luke Littler in last week’s final in Nottingham and The Iceman will get a booming reception back in his home city.
Our Darts guru Ben Smith is back at the oche once again and has two picks for the Luke Humphries v Luke Littler showdown and a value pick from the Outright market.
Darts Tips
7:15pm: Chris Dobev v Stephen Bunting – Chris Dobey to win
8:45pm: Gerwyn Price v Rob Cross – Gerwyn Price to win
Night Seven Winner – Gerwyn Price
Chris Dobey vs Stephen Bunting – Chris Dobey to win
Still winless in the 2025 Premier League, Stephen Bunting has one of his better chances yet to get off the mark this week, up against second-bottom Chris Dobey.
Both have played relatively well throughout the tournament. Bunting has the fourth-highest average in the competition, but his finishing has let him down at just 37.5%. Dobey’s checkout rate is even worse and he hasn’t won a match in the event since night one.
Perhaps the feeling within the market is that Bunting is due a win, but I’m surprised to see him priced so short. Dobey’s overall numbers are the better of the two in all competitions since the Premier League started early last month, and the Geordie leads their all-time head-to-head battles at 10-4.
Bunting has done little wrong in the league campaign, but until he gets over the psychological hump of hitting a winning double for the first time, he will have an issue.
Gerwyn Price v Rob Cross – Gerwyn Price to win
Having won the night in Cardiff in 2023, Gerwyn Price almost made it back-to-back triumphs in his home nation a year ago, losing out to Michael Smith in the final.
It’s no surprise he feels comfortable playing in front of Welsh fans given the stick he has historically received elsewhere. He doesn’t seem to let the English crowds get to him at the moment, though, as he showed by prevailing in Nottingham last week.
Rob Cross has blown hot and cold in the Premier League and is yet to reach a final. As good as he’s played at times, his ‘B’ game hasn’t been there to bail him out when needed, whereas The Iceman has shown an ability to succeed even while being outscored.
Determined to make his home advantage count, Price takes preference in this quarter-final.
Night Seven Winner – Gerwyn Price
Backing someone to win a night when Luke Littler is their likely second opponent means we’re unlikely to be in for a smooth ride, but Price has defeated The Nuke six times in a row and won’t fear the teenager should they meet in the semis.
Some players are beaten before a dart is thrown when they came up against ‘the Lukes’, but that accusation can not be thrown at the Iceman. Luke Humphries, Littler and Price all hold two nightly wins each this term and the latter deserves every credit for sticking with them.
The Welshman is priced just a touch shorter than some of the other contenders on Thursday night. He should be closer to the top two in my view, not only based on his results in the event thus far, but also on his average since the start of last month. He’s the only Premier League player not named Luke to be running at 98+ in that time.
Darts Tips
7:15pm: Chris Dobev v Stephen Bunting – Chris Dobey to win
8:45pm: Gerwyn Price v Rob Cross – Gerwyn Price to win
Night Seven Winner – Gerwyn Price
*All prices are bang up to date with our snazzy widgets, while odds in copy are accurate at time of publishing but subject to change.
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