Betfred World Championship predictions, snooker betting tips and winner odds

Free snooker tips, best bets and analysis for the Betfred World Championship, which starts on Saturday.

Where to watch

BBC & Eurosport, from 10am Saturday

Best bets

Kyren Wilson to win tournament
1pt each-way 18-1 Betfred

Ronnie O'Sullivan to win fourth quarter
2pts 6-4 Coral, Ladbrokes

Humphries's best bet

Kyren Wilson to win tournament 18-1

Neil Robertson, who is chasing a second Betfred World Championship, is the bookmakers' favourite and with Judd Trump having gone off the boil a little and reigning Crucible champion Mark Selby having experienced bouts of depression in recent months, perhaps it's not that surprising that the Australian ace tops the outright market.

Robertson could be the one to beat in the 17-day Sheffield marathon having successfully clawed his way back from 9-4 down to pip John Higgins 10-9 to the Tour Championship title earlier this month.

That triumph could afford the Thunder from Down Under, also victorious in the Masters, English Open and Players Championship this season, the boost he needs going to a venue where he has often come up short.

Punters might do well to remember that, although the oddsmakers seem confident enough that Robbo is the one to beat having made him a reasonably clear list-topper.

However, rather than risk Robertson, who looks a little short considering his record in the sport's flagship tournament, it could pay to look in the top half of the draw for title value this year.

With hints of doubt surrounding Trump and possibly Selby – it should be said that the four-time champion from Leicester has looked a little happier in practice in recent days – this could be the year that Kyren Wilson, who is still without a major title in his locker, cracks it.

The Warrior, who has contested World Championship and Masters finals, turned 30 in December and Wilson still looks likely to put that invaluable experience to good use before long.

The Class of 1992 cannot boss the big stage forever and Wilson should find he gets increasingly more major-winning opportunities as Ronnie O'Sullivan, Higgins and Mark Williams approach their 50s.

It has to be said, his draw is tough from the outset. He opens with a clash against former world number one and three-time UK champion Ding Junhui, who also came through qualifying to make his only world final appearance in 2016. Handily, the Warrior leads their personal series 8-6.

The first seed Wilson could meet is Stuart Bingham. The Essex cueman needs only a UK Championship title to join the list of players to have won all three majors, and the 2015 Crucible king was the most prolific century breakmaker in last year's tournament, one he had to qualify for, with 13 tons.

Wilson, who has played well this season without capturing a title of note, has a decent record against Bingham, however, having won 11 of their 17 previous meetings.

A possible quarter-final against either Trump or Anthony McGill would likely be a tougher assignment for the selection, although Wilson, who trails former world number one Trump 15-12 in their series, defeated the Bristolian 13-9 in the last eight in Sheffield two years ago.

McGill is getting better and better and owes Wilson one for his 17-16 semi-final loss in 2020. But there's clearly not much between the pair and the Warrior has accrued more big-match experience than the Scot.

Selby, should he play and beat Yan Bingtao, or Williams could block Wilson's path in the semi-finals and while a top-form Jester would represent a serious stumbling-block, that may not be guaranteed in Sheffield this year.

Three-time world champion Williams is still playing some superb snooker aged 47 and the Welsh potting machine knocked in two 147 maximum breaks and plenty more tons in a south Wales club appearance last week. So even if Wilson was to avoid Selby, Williams could still pose problems. Wilson leads their head-to-head count 11-6, though, so there's still plenty of hope that he could make it two world final appearances in three years.

Next best bet

Ronnie O'Sullivan to win fourth quarter

If the Warrior is to reach the title decider, the betting suggests one of Robertson, O'Sullivan or Higgins will stand in his way.

O'Sullivan, of course, silenced a fatigued Wilson 18-8 in the 2020 final – it was 10-7 at the halfway stage – and either of the market-leaders in the bottom half of the draw could prove tough to stop.

But while Robertson and Higgins may have an almighty quarter-final rumble of their own in Sheffield this year, O'Sullivan looks well worth a bet to make the semis.

The Rocket has endured a tough campaign in many ways. He has been beaten by Higgins in all four of their clashes this season and picking himself up from those knockdowns was always going to be tough.

However, O'Sullivan deserves much credit for sticking to his guns in recent months because he has played through the low months and has looked much more competitive on the baize in the lead-up to his tilt at equalling Stephen Hendry's record of seven world crowns.

He is in the fourth quarter along with fellow seeds Zhao Xintong, Shaun Murphy and Mark Allen. And while O'Sullivan rightly raves about UK champion Zhao – he's gone as far as to say that the Chinese 24-year-old is going to become a better player than himself – the Rocket would still be fancied to use his vast experience to positive effect should they clash in the quarter-finals.

Of the other seeds, there have been reports recently that Murphy has not been in peak physical condition for the task ahead. That said, the Magician has turned up in Sheffield with his A-game on more than the odd occasion, while Allen has struggled to back up his title triumph over Higgins in the Northern Ireland Open final in October.

Players to note

This year's qualifiers look a cracking bunch and it would be no surprise were a healthy number of seeds to come a cropper in the first round, which is played over the best of 19 frames.

Aside from Ding, there are plenty of other talented performers capable of putting the wind up their seeded opponents in the last 32.

In no particular order, mention can be made of Scott Donaldson, Michael White, Ashley Hugill, August's Championship League hero David Gilbert, dual world finalist Matthew Stevens and Iran's Shoot Out champion Hossain Vafaei. All are performing at or near the top of their games and could do themselves proud in the coming days.

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