Northern Ireland Open predictions, snooker betting tips and winner odds

Free snooker tips, best bets and analysis for the Northern Ireland Open, which starts in Belfast on Saturday evening.

Where to watch

Eurosport, from 7pm Saturday

Best bets

Ronnie O'Sullivan to win Northern Ireland Open
1pt 11-2 Betfred, Hills

James Cahill to beat Fergal O'Brien
1pt EvsBetfair, Paddy Power

Preview

After an unusual break from snooker - the sport had no main-draw action scheduled in the whole of September - the baize action returns with the Northern Ireland Open, which starts in Belfast on Saturday evening.

Judd Trump has defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan 9-7 in the last three stagings of this tournament - last year's contest was held in Milton Keynes due to the pandemic - and the defending champion and top seed is the bookmakers' favourite to make it four wins on the spin in the first of the Home Nations events.

O'Sullivan and Neil Robertson are vying for second favouritism just ahead of Mark Selby, then there's another gap to John Higgins and then another to Mark Allen, who has tended to struggle in his home tournament.

Trump spent the snooker break by picking up a pool cue instead and competing in the US Open, but while the oddsmakers made him favourite to boss the nine-ball tournament he was easily defeated once the competition started getting serious.

It's best-of-seven frames until the quarter-finals at the Waterfront Hall and that means punters should tread carefully at such an early stage of the campaign.

Dave Gilbert and Mark Williams were the respective stars of the Championship League and British Open, the first two events of the new season in August. But this time with Trump having rested slightly less than his principal rivals it could pay punters to concentrate on O'Sullivan or Robertson.

The fact O'Sullivan has travelled to Northern Ireland could be seen as a tip in itself so the Rocket, who knows he has work to do this season to catch up with the top brass, is worth chancing to lift the trophy.

Higgins, as always, could have a major say in deciding who lifts the trophy. At his best the Scot is more than a match for O'Sullivan, but the Wizard of Wishaw has not always produced tip-top form in early-season ranking events.

James Cahill is taking a long time to justify the belief that many observers placed in him when they saw his early-career promise, but the Blackpool potter may simply be a slow-burner who needs time to build confidence at the table.

He faces a potentially tough first-round battle in his Belfast opener against Fergal O'Brien, who will probably view this as the nearest thing he has to a home tournament.

The Dublin veteran remains a redoubtable fighter, but he seldom beats opponents easily. Considering Cahill is still a hugely promising talent, an interest on the younger man can be chanced.

Yuan Sijun will probably beat Alfie Burden, who has recently returned to full-time snooker. But Ben Woollaston fans should be careful if considering a punt on the Leicester cueman because earlier this year it looked as if his opening opponent Oliver Lines was finally doing justice to his talent on the baize.

Prior to the September hiatus, it looked as if Ali Carter's form and attitude on the table was getting better and better and that is likely to spell trouble for the Captain's first-round foe Lyu Haotian.

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