Adam Williams presents his prediction for the 2025 German Masters Snooker match.
Luca Brecel
Luca Brecel and Anthony McGill had very different first-round matches at the Hermann Masters. The Belgian Bullet defeated Jiang Jun (5:2), producing a single century break of 104. In contrast, McGill edged past Pang Junxu in a deciding frame, compiling several big breaks of 107, 104, 64, and 53 points. Although Brecel is ranked 8th in the world, he has not delivered any significant results in ranking tournaments for almost two years. His only notable achievement came just before the Christmas break, when he reached the final of the Snooker Championship, only to lose to Mark Allen (5:1). However, this at least represents the first step towards rediscovering the form that saw him become world champion two years ago. If Brecel does not step up his performances in the second half of the season, he will face a dramatic drop in the rankings after the World Championship, as he has achieved little of note in the past two years.
Anthony McGill
Anthony McGill has also struggled to make an impact during the same period. Over the last two seasons, the Scot has reached just one semi-final, at the Welsh Open 2023, and endured a difficult second half of the previous campaign, failing to qualify for most tournaments. A particularly painful blow was his defeat to He Guoqiang (10:5) in the World Championship qualifiers, a tournament that McGill has historically performed well in. This season, he also failed to qualify for the UK Championship, again losing to He Guoqiang in a 6:5 thriller. However, he has since played some strong matches, which suggests he should not be underestimated against Brecel.
Luca Brecel vs Anthony McGill Prediction
Bookmakers favour Brecel, but we would back McGill in this match. Luca will play an attacking game, which could leave him vulnerable to punishment if he makes mistakes. Given Brecel’s inconsistent form, McGill should have plenty of opportunities, and his break-building is currently more reliable.
