Nathan Aspinall and Michael Smith in Premier League Play-off Qualification Battle
Nathan Aspinall and Michael Smith are set to battle it out for a spot in the Premier League play-offs in the final weekly night in Sheffield on Thursday. The winner of their quarter-final match will join Luke Littler, Luke Humphries, and Michael van Gerwen at the O2 Arena next week.
Aspinall’s Determination
Aspinall, the runner-up in 2020, expressed his confidence saying, “In every Premier League campaign I’ve played in, it has always come down to the last night. I’ve got the job done twice in three attempts. Last year was unfortunate, but I know what I’ve got to do, and I’m confident I am going to come out with a result on Thursday. I’m playing against a close friend in Michael so it’s going to be a tough game. It would be a dream of mine to make my debut at the O2, so I’m looking forward to hopefully finishing my season on a high.”
Smith’s Perspective
Smith, the winner in Sheffield last year, also shared his thoughts, “It’s a nice feeling going into the final knowing you’ve got a chance of qualifying, but me and Nathan will have to put our friendship aside tomorrow night. If I can make the top four it will have been a really good season, especially with the line-up this year.”
Littler, 17, aims to top the table by beating Peter Wright and achieve a record-breaking fifth weekly win. Van Gerwen will face Rob Cross, while Humphries will play against Gerwyn Price in the other quarter-finals.