"I’ve been in a position before when I won three nights in a row and then afterwards I played poorly": Van Gerwen aims to avoid complacency after Newcastle win

This Thursday evening marks Night Two of the Premier League Darts, with Michael van Gerwen heading to Antwerp as the league leader.

The Dutchman won last week’s opening night at Premier League in Newcastle by beating Stephen Bunting and Luke Humphries in succession, before defeating his compatriot and debutant Gian van Veen 6-4 in the final. It was the perfect start for ‘Mighty Mike’, who failed to win a single night in last year’s campaign.

Van Gerwen, however, does not want to get carried away by that strong start and is already looking ahead to his clash with Josh Rock tonight in Antwerp. Rock will throw everything at securing his first Premier League win. “The Premier League is always a rollercoaster, so you need to make sure you perform week after week,” said the Dutchman.

Winning the first night means little for the rest of the Premier League, according to Van Gerwen. “I’ve been in a position before when I won three nights in a row and then afterwards I played poorly, so I need to keep my focus and the momentum going."

“People know what I’m capable of. I don’t have to make statements. Everyone still wants to beat me, but more importantly I still want to beat them," he added.

“There’s still a lot of room for improvement, so as long as I keep that in mind, anything is possible.”

The Dutchman faces debutant Josh Rock in his opening match in Antwerp. In their head-to-head, Van Gerwen holds a slight edge, having won 8 of their 12 meetings. If he wins this match, he will meet the winner of Luke Littler versus Luke Humphries in the semi-finals.