Adam Williams presents his prediction for the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship match.
John Higgins
Over the last few weeks John Higgins has been in excellent form, losing only three of his last 10 matches, and only to top players. At the start of the tournament here at the Riyadh Season Snooker Championship he shut out Ding Junhui (4:0), produced two century breaks, dominated the positional play and did not give his opponent the slightest chance. An additional plus is his consistency on long pots and his composure on the key balls. He is now playing mature, reliable snooker, without lapses in concentration.
Mark Allen
After winning the English Open there has clearly been a dip: five defeats in his last 10 matches and a current run of two losses. The 3:6 defeat to Judd Trump and especially the 0:4 whitewash against Zhao Xintong show that Mark Allen's accuracy on long pots is off and his tempo is dropping. Yes, his motivation is huge – he is defending his title. But in a short format, instability in the opening of frames and lapses during visits create too much risk.
John Higgins vs Mark Allen Prediction
In a short match a century break can come from a single good chance, and John Higgins's current form makes that outcome very likely. Mark Allen is inconsistent but quite capable of leaving an open table. Higgins is compiling breaks confidently at the moment, as he confirmed with two centuries against Ding Junhui.
