UK Championship predictions & snooker betting tips: Murphy can conjure up some magic

Where to watch UK Championship

You can watch the UK Championship on BBC One, Eurosport & Discovery+

UK Championship prediction & best bet

Shaun Murphy
1pt each-way 16-1 Hills

Zhang Anda
0.5pt each-way 40-1 Betfair, Paddy Power

Bet on Shaun Murphy here and get £40 in free bets from Paddy Power

UK Championship preview

The prestigious UK Championship begins as it finished last season, with defending champion Mark Allen taking on Ding Junhui.

Allen came from 6-1 down to defeat Ding 10-7 in the 2022 final and claim his maiden UK crown. And the Pistol should be full of confidence for his title defence after winning last week's Champion of Champions.

The form of that title triumph is strong as Allen saw off Jimmy White, Ali Carter, John Higgins and Judd Trump, who has been this season’s form man with three ranking event titles, at the University of Bolton Stadium.

The manner of Allen's 10-3 victory over Trump in the final must be taken seriously but while it would be no surprise to see him repeat last season’s success, an opening date with three-time UK Champion Ding is fraught with danger.

Allen is also housed in the tougher half of the draw, with Mark Williams, Kyren Wilson, Mark Selby, Barry Hawkins and Trump also lurking in the first two quarters.

Therefore, it could pay to concentrate on the bottom half, in which seven-time champion Ronnie O’Sullivan is the headline act.

However, the Rocket hasn’t won a ranking event since lifting his seventh World Championship title in May 2022 and there has been an air of vulnerability about him this season.

O'Sullivan is worth taking on at the prices and so too is Neil Robertson, who has made an alarmingly poor start to the campaign with first-round exits in each of his four appearances in ranking events.

With reigning world champion Luca Brecel failing to live up to expectations and the legendary John Higgins struggling to deliver at the business end of tournaments, there is real potential for an upset.

The fourth quarter looks very winnable and Shaun Murphy, already a Triple Crown winner and UK champion in 2008, could seize his chance.

The Magician has struggled since winning the Championship League in July but he showed encouraging signs at the Champion of Champions, where he scored well in a 4-1 win over Gary Wilson before losing 6-4 to Trump in the quarter-finals.

A first-round showdown with Hossein Vafaei is tricky but from thereon his toughest route to the semi-finals would be to play Carter and then Brecel or Zhang Anda.

With neither O’Sullivan nor Robertson guaranteed to make the last four on current form things could soon open up for Murphy, who has proved countless times that he can ready himself for showpiece events.

If Murphy fails to deliver then in-form Anda, who has finished runner-up at the English Open and won the International Championship this season, could capitalise. The Chinese ace is a huge each-way price at 40-1.

Make the most of your £40 Paddy Power free bet: all of our UK Championship Tips

With Paddy Power giving away £40 in snooker free bets, you might feel spoilt for choice. Here are some betting tips for the UK Championship that you may want to consider:

Shaun Murphy @ 14-1 with Paddy Power
Zhang Anda @ 40-1 with Paddy Power

*Note that these odds are subject to change

Grab a £40 Paddy Power free bet on the UK Championship

We’ve already mentioned that Paddy Power are offering a £40 free bet for the UK Championship

Well, you can follow these simple steps outlined below to grab your £40 free bet to place on the UK Championship. It's fast, secure and straightforward.

1. Head over to Paddy Power through this link and click the Join button on their homepage
2. Create your username and password
3. Make a deposit of £10 or more using a card & place a bet on a sportsbook market with odds of 1-2 or greater
4. You will be rewarded with £40 of free bet tokens added to your balance

Paddy Power UK Championship betting sign-up offer: terms and conditions

It's worth taking a few minutes to read through the terms and conditions associated with the new player promotion before signing up. Doing so will help you get a better grasp of the details of the Paddy Power betting offer and what's expected of you as a new player.

1. New UK & ROI customers only
2. Minimum deposit £10 bet at minimum odds of 1-2 to qualify 
3. Get £40 in free bets, valid for 30 days
4. SMS verification required
5. Bets placed on Greyhound racing markets are excluded.
6. Only deposits via cards will qualify

Click for more free bets and betting offers from the Racing Post

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