Adam Williams presents his prediction for the German Masters Qualifiers match.
Alfie Burden
Alfie Burden and Mostafa Dorgham find themselves in the lower half of the rankings, separated by 30 places overall and 30 years in snooker. Alfie Burden made his tour debut in 1994 and continues to play after all these years. Even when Burden dropped off the tour, he attempted to regain his spot via Q-School, and it appears he may need to do so again soon. Currently ranked 80th, he is having a challenging season. Alfie defeated Alexander Ursenbacher (6-4) in the UK Championship qualifiers and has previously edged past Ding Junhui, Andrew Higginson, and Dean Young only in deciding frames. Burden's break-building skills have waned, with just 24 breaks of 50+ this season, which is relatively few. Matches are tough, and every victory must be fought for.
Mostafa Dorgham
Mostafa Dorgham is in his second year on the tour and has displayed poor snooker over the past two years. Dorgham joined the tour in 2023 as the African Snooker Champion, but given the lower level of snooker in Africa, he has struggled to compete with professionals. In his first year, Dorgham won only once, defeating Fergal O'Brien in what was O'Brien's last match of his career. However, in nearly every match, Dorgham has been able to win frames, score points, and rarely suffered defeats without taking any frames. This season, Mostafa has already beaten Allan Taylor, Ricky Walden, Liam Pullen, and Huang Jiahao. In the matches he has lost, Dorgham has taken a few frames but not enough to win the match. Mostafa's recent losses to Jordan Brown (4-2) and Jamie Clarke (6-4) still saw him play some good snooker.
Alfie Burden vs Mostafa Dorgham Prediction
We believe Dorgham can compete with Burden in his current form and deliver a respectable performance. Alfie Burden is not known for his composure, which could make him a victim of his emotions, potentially aiding Dorgham. We think Mostafa can win at least three frames in this match.
