Neil Robertson v Judd Trump: UK Championship final betting tips, odds, TV details & stats

Key info

• Best-of-19 frames final
• Marshall Arena, Milton Keynes
• Session times: 1300 & 1900 GMT
• Television coverage via Eurosport and BBC

Match odds

• Neil Robertson: Evens
• Judd Trump: 8/11

Head-to-head

• Matches played: 34
• Robertson wins: 15
• Trump wins: 19
• Frames won by Robertson: 145
• Frames won by Trump: 157
• Finals won by Robertson: 2
• Finals won by Trump: 4

Recent meetings

2020 English Open final

Trump 9-8 Robertson

• Centuries: 1-3
• High break: 114-128

2020 German Masters final

Trump 9-6 Robertson

• Centuries: 1-1
• High break: 100-120

2019 Champion of Champions final

Robertson 10-9 Trump

• Centuries: 5-3
• High break: 137-127

2020-21 form

Neil Robertson

• European Masters: QF
• English Open: F
• Champion of Champions: F
• Northern Ireland Open: R2

Judd Trump

• European Masters: SF
• English Open: W
• Championship League: F
• Champion of Champions: SF
• Northern Ireland Open: W

Sporting Life verdict

Opposing Judd Trump in a ranking final has proven an expensive pursuit for a long time now. In fact if we err on the side of generosity and ignore the Championship League's unique best-of-five decider, Trump has won his last 11, a sequence dating back to the 2017 Welsh Open. There, he was beaten in a deciding frame. He's been ultra-reliable, whoever the opponent, however busy the calendar.

Still, the biggest final he's lost in recent memory is relevant. The Champion of Champions may not be a ranking event, but it's one of the most significant in the calendar, part of a clutch of tournaments which sit one rung below the Triple Crown. Trump lost that classic final to Neil Robertson 13 months ago, and there's a case for saying that the Australian is the man most likely to beat him in this kind of match.

Trump gained a measure of revenge for that disappointment when edging the English Open final recently, leg one of a potential triple crown of his own - he went on to win the Northern Ireland Open, and needs the Scottish and the Welsh for a Home Nations clean sweep.

This sort of achievement had seemed beyond anyone in the sport until Trump took over as its dominant force and nothing is out of his reach. Even a packed calendar and the monotony of Milton Keynes has failed to stop him, and when forced to dig deep - such as against Kyren Wilson - he's been able to. By rights he should crack any minute and throw in a shocker, and yet on he goes.

That's why we wouldn't necessarily be keen to chance Robertson, who said he's in the form of his life after three centuries saw him teach Zhou Yuelong a lesson on Saturday afternoon. The Australian says he's added an aggression to his safety play which explains his improved form since another disappointing performance at the Crucible, and while lacking Trump's consistency, he has been mesmerising at times.

The concern would be that it's five years since he so much as contested a Triple Crown final and if he does lack his usual freedom, Trump will stomp all over him early on and, once in front, likely prove impossible to peg back. That said we've faith in Robertson's ability to keep this competitive even if in defeat, which has been true of so many of their meetings. Even as Trump has risen to the top of the sport, Robertson has been one of those most comfortable in the face of such a challenge.

What's the best bet for Robertson v Trump?

As suggested ahead of the final of the Northern Ireland Open, where Trump beat O'Sullivan, there's no real desire to get heavily involved here. However it could be worth backing Robertson to bag the high break - something he's done in their last five meetings outside of the Championship League - and to win the centuries head-to-head.

Robertson has made 10 during the tournament, three more than his opponent, who hasn't yet gone beyond 113 for all he threatened a maximum in the semi-finals. Robertson has done so seven times and has looked the better of the two among the balls.

There's just a suspicion that Trump hasn't really been in top gear yet and although he might find it when he needs to, on balance he looks a shade more vulnerable in all markets than they suggest he is. And while his record in finals means we owe him the benefit of any doubt in the match market, when it comes to centuries he's up against one of the two players in snooker who can outdo him on any given day.