Adam Williams presents his prediction for the Scottish Open snooker match.
Noppon Saengkham
Noppon Saengkham has had three tough matches at the Scottish Open. First, Noppon beat Ricky Walden (4-3), then he beat Mark Selby (4-2), and yesterday he beat Ali Carter (4-2). Matches with such opponents require a lot of energy, and another challenging fixture with Mark Allen lies ahead. It will be very difficult for Noppon, as Allen now plays completely differently than before. Allen no longer attacks at every opportunity but instead plays more carefully and cautiously. This style of play can be particularly challenging for attacking players like Noppon. Therefore, Saengkham tries to get into an attacking position as soon as possible before the situation deteriorates. Once in an attacking position, he aims to make a big break and avoid getting involved in a tactical endgame. Noppon has faced strong players in his recent matches—Mark Williams, Shaun Murphy, Mark Selby, and Thepchaiya Un-Nooh. Even in the qualifiers for the UK Championship, Noppon's opponent was Zhao Xintong, who returned as an amateur after a disqualification, yet Zhao is a very strong and dangerous opponent.
Mark Allen
Mark Allen defeated Jack Lisowski (4-3) in a very tense and exciting match. Mark had breaks of 112, 79, and 68, and he made a very promising attempt at a maximum break, only missing the 15th red. Bookmakers naturally consider Allen to be the favourite for this match. Mark is having an excellent season, and winning the title would be fantastic, especially as he has reached the semi-finals only three times.
Mark Allen vs Noppon Saengkham Prediction
We also think that Mark Allen will advance to the semi-finals, but we want to suggest a bet on the total number of century breaks. Both players excel at making big breaks and have demonstrated this ability in past matches. Both will aim to win frames in a single visit and prevent their opponent from getting to the table, so we believe we will see at least two centuries in this match.
