Snooker World Cup: betting preview, tips and TV details

Play starts 5am Monday
Live on Eurosport 2, 12.25pm

China have dominated the snooker World Cup since its revival in 2011, winning all three tournaments, and having two star-studded pairings representing them on home soil in Wuxi provides them with an excellent chance of reigning supreme again.

Since being allowed two sides in competition, China have triumphed with both their A and B teams.

Four years ago, Zhou Yuelong and Yan Bingtao, then both teenagers, propelled themselves into snooker’s elite with a shock success, while Ding Junhui and Liang Wenbo were victorious two years later, regaining the trophy they had won in Bangkok in 2011.

However, China have mixed up their pairings this year with Ding and Bingtao forming team A and Wenbo and Yuelong establishing team B and, as a result, they could be worth opposing.

England, runners-up two years ago with Judd Trump and Barry Hawkins, have Kyren Wilson and Jack Lisowski taking over the reins and they are both in good nick having eased through qualifying for the Riga Masters and the International Championship.

But they are tournament debutants and the quirky format against more established pairings could catch them out.

The value could lie with Scotland, who are housed in the weakest group and are bolstered by the presence of two of the world's top 16 in John Higgins and Stephen Maguire.

Scotland were dumped out in the group stage two years ago but Anthony McGill was alongside Higgins on that occasion and Maguire's inclusion makes them a far stronger unit.

The Higgins-Maguire pairing were quarter-finalists in 2011 and runners-up in 2015 and a section comprising Belgium, Israel, Cyrpus, Malaysia and UAE should ensure they progress as group winners.

If there is to be a surprise then it could be Iran, who made the quarter-finals two years ago and look too big at 40-1.

Hossein Vafaei, a semi-finalist at the Welsh Open last season, is a serious talent and could be a ranking event winner in waiting, while partner Soheil Vahedi is improving and impressed in qualifying for the Riga Masters earlier this month.

England are the class act in Group B but Iran can qualify at the expense of Northern Ireland, who are vulnerable with Jordan Brown alongside Mark Allen.

Thailand's twosome Thepchaiya Un-Nooh and Noppon Saengkham catch the eye but they are in the same group as China A and are priced accordingly at 10-1, while Welsh duo Mark Williams and Ryan Day have yet to make their mark in this competition - they made the last eight in 2017 - and can be taken on.

Recommendations
Scotland
2pts 9-2 Hills
Iran
0.5pt each-way 40-1 Sky Bet

Today's top sports betting stories

Follow us on Twitter @racingpostsport

Like us on Facebook RacingPostSport