Richard Mann has tipped 50/1 and 20/1 each-way finalists in recent weeks – he has bets at 50/1 and 20/1 for the German Masters which starts on Wednesday.
Snooker betting tips: German Masters
1pt e.w Anthony McGill to win the German Masters at 20/1 (Sky Bet, William Hill, 888Sport 1/2 1,2)
1pt e.w Xiao Guodong to win the German Masters at 50/1 (Betfred 1/2 1,2)
It’s hard to escape the feeling this year’s German Masters will have a shadow hanging over the tournament, given the absences of defending champion Zhao Xintong and several other high-profile Chinese players.
Xintong was an imperious winner of last year’s event, trouncing compatriot Yan Bingtao 9-0 in the final, though the subsequent suspension and charging of that pair in light of World Snooker's match-fixing investigation has brought the validity of the result into question.
One wonders whether we’ll ever get all the answers we demand about that one, but their absence will be felt – not so much because of their snooker, given neither has pulled up any trees this season – but them not being in Berlin will be a reminder of the dark cloud still hanging over the sport.
Excellent renewals of the Masters and World Grand Prix recently had gone a long way in helping get snooker back into the news for the right reasons, but Judd Trump won’t be in Berlin to build on his heroics at Alexandra Palace, nor Mark Allen who won the World Grand Prix from Trump, having also claimed first Prize at the UK Championship.
World champion Ronnie O’Sullivan isn’t in the draw either, so while this event clearly lacks some of the star-quality, it does present a fine opportunity for someone to get their hands on some silverware.
Top of many lists will be Neil Robertson who has looked in good shape all throughout the season but is still without a title win, four semi-final defeats no doubt leaving him frustrated.
I’ve said for a while now that I don’t think the Australian is far away at all, but he was beaten in his first match at the Masters recently and then in the first round of the World Grand Prix the following week.
Given Robertson sits at the top of a very weak-looking bottom half of the draw, outright quotes of 5/2 are entirely understandable, but that recent form must be a slight concern, and it’s worth remembering that his first-round opponent in Berlin, Joe Perry, got the better of him when they met at the UK Championship in November.
On price grounds, I’ll pass him over and concentrate on the top half of the draw instead.
Jack Lisowski was in the staking plan at the World Grand Prix and took eventual winner Mark Allen to a deciding frame in the last eight, before eventually losing another close match. That coming after his last-four finishes at the UK Championship and Masters.
His chance is there for all to see again, but I’m quite keen on XIAO GUODONG this week and though being drawn in the same section as Lisowski does temper my enthusiasm a trifle, the 50/1 still available about the Chinese is too big to pass up.
Xiao gave Trump a real run for his money in the quarter-finals of the World Grand Prix, having lost 4-2 to the same opponent in the last 16 of the Scottish Open, and again when they met in the last 32 at the UK Championship.
What a pot that is from Xiao Guodong! pic.twitter.com/1spynUw8r4
— Eurosport (@eurosport) April 19, 2017
Having also reached the last 16 of the Northern Ireland Open earlier in the season, before losing to eventual winner, Allen, it’s fair to say that Xiao has been mixing in elite company in the last few months and has performed better than his results would suggest.
I’m happy to give him a whirl at the odds, with ANTHONY MCGILL a second selection from top half of the draw.
The Scot has enjoyed a solid season so far, reaching the semi-finals in Belfast and the last eight at the recent World Grand Prix.
McGill played particularly well in that latest event, thumping the likes of Gary Wilson and Sam Craigie before losing out in a high-class encounter with Shaun Murphy that went the distance, despite knocking in two centuries and a break of 99.
That level of form is certainly good enough to give him a chance this week, and McGill is the sort of player who will appreciate starting out in best-of-9 frames matches, oppose to the best-of-7 frames he has faced at many of the other tournaments.
These matches are the same distance as the aforementioned World Grand Prix, where McGill performed so well, and the longer the matches, the greater the likelihood his excellent all-round game can come to the fore – unlike in some of the Home Nations events where there is just so little margin for error if your opponent starts well.
I don’t mind Tian Pengfei first up, given McGill whitewashed him at the Northern Ireland Open, before the likes of Tom Ford and possibly Kyren Wilson later in the draw are matches in which I’d favour McGill.
Wilson would of course start favourite if they met in the quarter-finals, but there is nothing in the head-to-head record (5-5) and the former hasn’t been at his best of late.
I fancy McGill to go a long way this week and 20/1 about the former World Championship semi-finalist looks decent business.
With any, luck he might be able to give us a free ride in the semi-finals if Xiao can navigate a tougher looking section and make it through.
Regardless, both McGill and Xiao have enough going for them to make plenty of appeal at 50/1 and 20/1 respectively, and they make up the two-pronged staking plan for an event that might not take that much winning if Robertson isn't able to recapture his very best form.
Posted at 1940 GMT on 30/01/23
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