Reigning Premier League champion Luke Humphries is confident his fortunes will change ahead of a season-defining quarter-final showdown against Michael van Gerwen in Aberdeen.
Humphries has endured a difficult defence of the title he claimed in spectacular fashion last May as he languishes in sixth with only seven wins heading into Night 13.
Cool Hand has reached just one final, which was Night Six where he was emphatically beaten by table-topping Jonny Clayton in Nottingham, and the world number two has reached the semi-finals of a Premier League evening just once in the last five weeks.
Finals Night had become a routine for Humphries in the previous two seasons, but the 31-year-old needs victories fast if he is to haul himself into the top four and secure his place at the O2 Arena.
Despite his lowly position in the table, Humphries possesses the second-highest average (100.39) in the Premier League behind Luke Littler and his tournament average this season is actually better than his triumphant campaign last year, where he averaged 99.67.
Recognising his level of performances haven't significantly declined, Humphries is adamant it's only a matter of time before results improve, starting with Thursday's must-win clash against Van Gerwen.
Humphries told bet365: "I need a good run. It's got to the point now where the more I lose in the first games, the harder it's becoming for me to break into that top four.
"I really want to be at Finals night just so that I've at least got the opportunity to defend my trophy. It's a lot of pressure because you know you can't slip up.
"I feel a lot of my performances this season in the Premier League have almost been better than the performances I produced last year. I've been a lot more consistent, frequently going above that 96 average but I've also had a lot of good performances against me and maybe my timing hasn't been as good as it probably should be.
"The performances have definitely been there and my overall average is better than last year, but I haven't had the results to match which is obviously very frustrating.
I just need to keep pushing, keep working hard and hopefully my luck will change.
Van Gerwn is five points ahead of Humphries in the standings, meaning if Cool Hand was to secure his first nightly win of the season, he would move level on points with the Dutchman.
However, Aberdeen hasn't been a happy hunting ground for Humphries in the past having failed to secure a match win in the Granite City, while Van Gerwen holds the upper hand in their Premier League head-to-head record this year with Mighty Mike winning two compared to Humphries' one.
Humphries is the 8/13 favourite to topple Van Gerwen and 5/1 joint-second favourite to emerge victorious at the P&J Live.
All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.
