Northern Ireland Open: Saturday's free snooker tips

Free snooker tips and best bets for the Saturday's Northern Ireland Open semi-finals in Belfast.

When to watch

Eurosport 1 & Quest, 1pm Saturday

Best bet

Over 9.5 frames
1pt Evs bet365

Preview

Judd Trump and John Higgins meet for the fourth time this year in the semi-finals of the Northern Ireland Open and while Higgins won their first meeting in the Championship League, Trump was to the fore in the Crucible final and semi-finals of the World Open in China earlier this month.

That Yushan clash went to the deciding frame, however, with the Ace in the Pack edging the honours 6-5 and there's a good chance that Higgins could again trouble Trump in Belfast.

Going over the total-frames line in their best-of-11 clash could be the answer. Trump won the world final 18-9 but once the younger player took the lead Higgins was a spent force after some tiring matches earlier in the Sheffield marathon.

Higgins leads their personal series 22-12 - there has also been one draw - and there looks no reason why the Scot cannot play a major role against Trump, who has been busy with a title in Yushan and a runner-up berth in the Champion of Champions.

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