"Best player in the world by a million miles" - Nathan Aspinall shows admiration for world champion Luke Humphries

Nathan Aspinall surprisingly defeated Luke Humphries in the semifinals last week in Rotterdam on his way to his weekly title during the 12th round of Premier League Darts play.

Thursday night in Liverpool, the two Englishmen face each other again, but already in the opening match. During the Love The Darts podcast, Aspinall expressed his admiration for the reigning world champion.

"Standard-wise, Humphries is the best player in the world by a million miles. When he brings his A-game, we can't beat him," said Aspinall.

Aspinall then explained the difference. "He has been producing numbers that are obscene. I don't even do that in a practice room, let alone on the stage. I beat him last week and can hopefully count on that experience and get another result but he is definitely the best player out there at the moment."

Aspinall desperately needs the points in the battle for qualification for the playoffs. It looks like five players are vying for four qualifying spots. Luke Humphries leads the league standings with 26 points, while Luke Littler has also accumulated 26 points.

Behind that follows Nathan Aspinall with 23 points, while Michael van Gerwen holds the fourth spot with 22 points. Michael Smith follows in his wake with 20 points. For Gerwyn Price (12 points), Rob Cross (11 points) and Peter Wright (four points), it will be an almost impossible task to still make the playoffs.