2024 World Snooker Championship day two predictions and snooker betting tips: Selby set for a stern test

Ladbrokes are offering £40 in free bets when you bet £10 on the World Snooker Championship. You can grab your free bets here. 

We’ve included instructions on how to grab your offer later on in this article.

Where to watch the World Snooker Championship

Live on BBC One, BBC Two, BBC iPlayer & Eurosport, from 10am Sunday

Best bets for day two of the World Snooker Championship

Joe O'Connor +3.5 frames on handicap v Mark Selby
1pt Evs Betfair, Paddy Power

Shaun Murphy -2.5 frames on handicap v Lyu Haotian
2pts 10-11 Hills

You can bet on the World Snooker Championship here and get £40 in free bets with Ladbrokes

World Snooker Championship predictions

Two more first-round matches start in Sheffield on Sunday with last season’s runner-up Mark Selby hoping to lay the foundation for his title bid against tournament debutant Joe O'Connor.

Selby is a four-time world champion who tends to come alive at this time of the campaign but he won’t be taking the challenge of O'Connor, a regular practice partner of his, lightly.

The other new contest kicking off sees Shaun Murphy, champion in 2005 and a subsequent three-time runner-up, take on Chinese youngster Lyu Haotian.

Mark Selby v Joe O'Connor predictions

Many will be expecting Selby’s experience to be decisive against Crucible debutant O'Connor and, while he should advance to the last 16, his younger rival cannot be completely dismissed.

This is arguably a decent draw for O'Connor in the sense that his game is very similar to that of Selby, who is a mentor of his, and he knows him well enough to be able to settle.

One of the most impressive aspects about O'Connor’s game is his excellent temperament and strong mindset, which is why it is hard to envisage him being overawed by the occasion.

The 28-year-old made the final of the Scottish Open last year, losing to Gary Wilson, and he finished runner-up to Selby at this season’s Championship League, which should have given him plenty of belief.

Qualifying wins over Julien Leclercq and Matthew Selt suggest O'Connor is razor sharp so he makes plenty of appeal on the handicap.

Selby hinted that he was not happy with his game when losing 10-8 to Gary Wilson in the first round of the Tour Championship earlier this month, threatening to retire from snooker if his form doesn't improve.

Despite making last season’s final, Selby was only a 10-8 winner in his opening match against Selt and in 2022 his first-round clash with Jamie Jones ended 10-7.

Shaun Murphy v Lyu Haotian predictions

Murphy, like Selby, often produces his best form at the World Championship and his recent performances hint that he is again peaking with the Crucible in mind.

The Magician won the event in 2005 and is a three-time runner-up, including in 2021, so he will be feeling confident of another deep run given the draw that he has landed.

On the whole it has been a poor season for Murphy but his performances at the World Open, where he defeated Xu Si and Joe Perry before bumping into Ding Junhui, suggest he has turned a corner.

Murphy had breaks of 136, 106 and 104 against Perry before knocks of 121, 101 and 86 in his 5-3 defeat to Ding, showing that he is in excellent touch.

With a few extra weeks of preparation under his belt since then, Murphy should be ready to strut his stuff and he rates a good bet to cover the handicap against Haotian, who has lost their last two meetings 5-0 and 6-1.

Grab £40 in Ladbrokes free bets when you bet £10 on the World Snooker Championship

We’ve already mentioned that Ladbrokes are offering £40 in free bets when you bet on the World Snooker Championship.

Here is how you can claim this £40 Ladbrokes free bet offer when you place a qualifying bet on the tournament.

• Head over to Ladbrokes through this link to sign up
• Click the sign-up button and follow the process to fill in your details
• Place a £10 qualifying bet at minimum odds of 1.5 (1-2)
• Once your qualifying bet settles, 4x £10 free bets will be automatically credited to your account
• Note that your 4x £10 free bets apply to different markets, so ensure you read full T&Cs

Ladbrokes 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 this Ladbrokes betting offer and what's expected of you as a new player.

The promotion from Ladbrokes gives you 4x £10 free bets to place across racing, football and other relevant markets. Some free bets are only applicable to certain sports, so it’s worth taking a minute to read through the T&Cs of this offer.

• 18+. New UK & ROI customers. 
• Offer ends 30/04/24. 
• Min first deposit £10 and place win or each-way bet within 14 days of account registration at min odds 1.5 to get 4 x £10 free bets. 
• Restrictions & T&Cs apply. 
• 18+. For more info visit www.begambleaware.org

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