Betting preview, tips and TV details for Saturday's The Masters matches

ITV4, 1pm & 7pm Saturday

Joe Cullen will struggle to produce a worse match on stage than his one and only effort at the William Hill World Champion­ship before Christmas, but the Yorkshireman can erase that from the memory banks by putting Rob Cross in his place in round one of the Masters in Milton Keynes.

Cullen barely managed a half-hour shift at Alexandra Palace where he was battered 3-0 by Brendan Dolan, winning a miserable, solitary leg in the process.

Rockstar accepts that simply wasn’t good enough and was in stark contrast to the displays which got him to the last eight of the World Matchplay and the European Championship semis.

Seeded 15th in Milton Keynes, Cullen takes on Cross in his opener and he looks seriously overpriced at 12-5.

Cross, like Cullen, is looking to bury some ghosts after his own difficult 2018 when he struggled to live up to his billing as world champion.

Big improvements are expected from both players this year, though in the first run-out of the year the generous price about Cullen is definitely preferred.

If Cross was a marked man in 2018, then Gerwyn Price is preparing himself for the same fate this year following his controversial triumph at the Grand Slam in November.

The former rugby player says he doesn’t mind the aggro that he will now court every time he walks on to the stage, though that didn’t look the case as he flopped flatly against Nathan Aspinall at Ally Pally.

This could be a difficult year for Price, who may struggle to get wound up playing James Wade. Arrers fans will know full well that Wade won’t buckle whatever shenanigans Gezzy tries. If it comes down to a straight talent contest, Wade gets the nod.

Recommendations
J Cullen
2pts 12-5 Hills
J Wade
3pts 20-21 Betfair

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