Michael van Gerwen has withdrawn from night nine of the Premier League Darts with a shoulder injury just minutes before the action gets underway in Berlin. The Dutchman was scheduled to face Gerwyn Price in the quarter-finals at the Uber Arena, but he has been ruled out of action, sparking confusion among fans about the evening's running order.

A PDC statement just before 5.30pm read: "Michael van Gerwen has withdrawn from Thursday's BetMGM Premier League night in Berlin due to a shoulder injury. The Dutchman had been hoping to continue his run of success in the Premier League's visits to the Uber Arena, which include victories in the 2022 Play-Offs and last year's league night. However, a shoulder injury has meant that Van Gerwen has withdrawn from the event."

Price has also received a Bye through to the semi-finals under tournament rules, earning two league points and a +1 leg difference.

Meanwhile, Van Gerwen, of course, goes empty-handed but has been hit with a -6 leg difference in a blow to his top-four hopes.

Ahead of night nine, MVG was third in the table with 13 points amid a four-way battle for the final two top-four spots.

Luke Littler - leading the way with 26 points and four nightly wins - and Luke Humphries, trailing on 18 points, are strongly expected to make finals night.

Price, in fourth, was tied with Rob Cross on 12 points, with Nathan Aspinall hot on their tails with a tally of 10.

But Van Gerwen's absence will see the Ice Man leapfrog him into third on 14 points ahead of the night's action, adding pressure to Cross and Aspinall to pick up results.

Aspinall first faces winless Stephen Bunting in the German capital, while Cross has the tall task of ousting Humphries in the second match of the night.

Chris Dobey meets Littler in what is the final quarter-final, and the winner of that clash will already know Price awaits in the semi-finals.

Price has battled with his own injury issues, recently admitting he wasn't fully fit for the meeting in Berlin: "I've been struggling with a bit of an injury over the last week, and it's still not 100%.

"It was nice to get another win on the ProTour this week, and this gives me a good confidence boost going into the Premier League on Thursday.

"I was 4-1 up against Michael on the European Tour the other week, and I lost 6-4.

"It doesn't matter how well you're playing. These players can come back and beat you, so I need to be at the top of my game."