Adam Williams presents his prediction for the Scottish Open snooker match.
Luca Brecel
Luca Brecel nearly achieved a remarkable comeback in his match against Ding Junhui, as the Belgian fought back from a 3-1 deficit while Ding appeared to have control of the game. A pivotal moment came when Brecel, at 3-1 down, struck the snooker escape with full force, relying on a significant stroke of luck as the cue ball eventually connected with the red ball. This approach is not uncommon for Brecel, and it reflects his desperation and reluctance to find a more strategic shot. Throughout the match, Brecel struggled to find success, which made Ding's loss all the more disappointing. Prior to this, Brecel defeated Zhou Yuelong (4-1) and Julien Leclerc (4-3). We are not particularly impressed with Brecel’s performance in this tournament, or in the season as a whole. Since winning the World Championship, Luca's form has declined significantly, and he currently holds 87th place in the seasonal rankings, having dropped to 53rd place in the projected end-of-season rankings.
Xiao Guodong
Xiao Guodong overcame Stephen Maguire (4-1) with impressive breaks of 114, 94, 92, and 82. Xiao is in excellent form, having reached two finals this season; he defeated Si Zhui (10-7) in Wuhan, and lost to Mark Williams (10-6) in the Champion of Champions final. In between, there was a semi-final appearance in the International Championship. In Glasgow, Xiao triumphed in a challenging match against Jack Jones, and in his opening match, he confidently beat Xu Si (4-1). Guodong has improved with each match, so we anticipate even better performance from Xiao in the quarter-finals against Brecel.
Luca Brecel vs Xiao Guodong Prediction
Matches at this stage are played in a best of 9 format, which introduces a break that might influence the flow of the game. However, even considering this, we believe Guodong is well-positioned to win. Xiao is having a brilliant season and deserves the opportunity to contend for another final. In the seasonal rankings, Xiao is third, whereas Brecel is 87th.
