Adam Williams presents his prediction for the UK Championship snooker match.
Xiao Guodong
Xiao Guodong is currently playing the best snooker of his career. This season, Xiao finally claimed his first tournament victory at the Wuhan Open and also reached the final of the Champion of Champions, where he lost to Mark Williams 10-6. He came close to reaching the final of the International Championship as well, narrowly losing to Chris Wakelin 9-8. Xiao is in excellent form and has defeated some of the biggest names in the sport in recent months, including Ronnie O'Sullivan, Shaun Murphy, Mark Allen, Mark Selby, and Kyren Wilson.
David Gilbert
David Gilbert has reached the quarter-finals in tournaments this season, facing opponents like Mark Selby, Judd Trump, Gary Wilson, and John Higgins. However, Gilbert lost his last two matches to Lei Peifan 4-2 and Jackson Page 6-4. Due to these recent results, he had to play in the UK Championship qualifiers, where he edged past Xing Zihao 6-5 and defeated Julien Leclercq 6-1. While it's expected that Gilbert should beat players at this level, it would be quite surprising if he lost to them.
Xiao Guodong vs David Gilbert Prediction
In the upcoming match, Xiao is definitely the favourite. He is in outstanding form and poised to make a significant impact in the UK Championship for the first time in his career, with his best achievement being a place in the last 16 of the 2020 UK Championship. Xiao's psychological state, game rhythm, desire to win, and break-building skills all favour him. It's difficult to pinpoint any arguments in favour of a victory for Gilbert. We believe Xiao will win confidently.
