World Snooker Championship preview and stats as Ronnie O'Sullivan takes on Judd Trump at the Crucible

It's the final most neutrals wanted: modern-day giant against the greatest player of all time. Two men from different generations, at different stages of their careers and lives, yet the fiercest of rivals on the table. The prince against the King.

Judd Trump versus Ronnie O'Sullivan.

For a few magical hours at the Crucible on Saturday afternoon, it seemed likely that it would be Mark Williams and not Trump who would be contesting the final after the Welsh veteran produced a comeback for the ages. In the end, Trump dug deep and scrambled over the winning line like the great champion he is.

As the late Shane Warne used to say, it's all about finding a way – and Trump was the embodiment of that philosophy in the final two frames of a wonderful semi-final.

Trump to face star pupil O'Sullivan

Now Trump must prepare himself to face another of the famed Class of 92, the star pupil no less. In O'Sullivan, Trump will have to beat the very best if he is to become world champion for a second time.

Their respective routes to the final have been markedly different, with Trump having to work hard to see off Anthony McGill and Stuart Bingham, before somehow holding off Williams in the last four. O'Sullivan, on the other hand, has barely broken sweat, despite falling 3-0 behind against David Gilbert and John Higgins.

It is O'Sullivan who will start Sunday's final as the form horse, having knocked in 12 centuries in the tournament so far, compared to Trump's eight. While there is little doubt that Trump looked vulnerable at various stages of his last three matches, O'Sullivan has appeared untouchable.

But in Trump's favour is that his form appears to be curving upwards. From his brilliant late-show against Bingham to his all-round excellent performance against Williams. Don't let the latter comeback detract from Trump's own performance – he was simply up against a hurricane in full storm and did remarkably well to come out alive.

Another big positive for the Trump camp is that unlike many other players on the tour, Trump has never been overawed by O'Sullivan. Respect, yes, but fear? Never. It's just not the Trump way.

And that has so often put O'Sullivan, so used to bullying inferior opposition, on the back foot. It's not what he has become accustomed to. We've seen that all through this year's World Championship, and even the great Higgins was guilty of going into his shell in their semi-final as O'Sullivan carried out his latest rampage.

Whereas O'Sullivan invariably knows that whoever he meets will unlikely be able to match his potting and scoring prowess, in Trump he knows he will be crossing swords with a rival whose game is even more attacking than his own. An individual whose potting is better than O'Sullivan's.

That's not to say his game is stronger than O'Sullivan's, not even now as the Rocket moves closer to 50 years of age, but Trump's dynamic approach and frightening potting is almost unplayable when he is on song, and over the last three seasons he's been hot more often than not.

Trump edges head-to-head record

In that time, Trump has beaten O'Sullivan in four major finals, three in Northern Ireland in matches that O'Sullivan was second best despite playing well, and in the 2018 Masters when Trump went on the attack from the outset and blitzed the local favourite in a remarkably one-sided affair. When Trump plays like that, he can even unnerve and intimidate O'Sullivan.

While O'Sullivan talked about being 'neat and tidy in the balls' at the recent Tour Championship, Trump has never had that same ability to keep the cue ball on a string and architect breaks like an artist using his cue as a paintbrush. Trump's method is about trusting his instincts and backing his ability to keep potting balls. It's a method that has served him very well.

But what it does do is leave him more vulnerable when his game isn't quite where we wants it to be, and he was thrashed by Zhao Xintong at the German Masters earlier in the season, a stark contrast to the brilliance he produced when winning in Turkey and at the Champion of Champions.

O'Sullivan has been more consistent throughout the campaign, rarely playing poorly and generally winning plenty of matches in the tournaments he has entered. His victory over Neil Robertson at the World Grand Prix confirmed he still has that extra gear to compete with the very best.

The very best is what he will be up against on Sunday, and while his recent head-to-record against Trump confirms this is just about the worst opponent he could face in his quest for a seventh world title – he trails Trump 15-14 in all meetings – although he can take heart from the victory he claimed over Trump at the Players Championship earlier in the season.

Mind over matter in World Championship final

Trump had won five out of the six previous meetings between the pair before that match, so breaking that trend might prove to a big mental boost to O'Sullivan over the next two days.

Perhaps more significant is the memorable win O'Sullivan enjoyed over Trump in the semi-finals of the 2019 Tour Championship, finding himself outmuscled in the early part of the match as he fell 6-2 behind, before roaring back to win 10-9 in a dramatic deciding frame. That was a two-session match and for all Trump's brilliance, it was O'Sullivan whose game was able to stay the pace for longer.

Over four sessions at the Crucible, Trump's ability to manage those periods when the long balls aren't disappearing with regularity will be key to his chances, while O'Sullivan will know that for all his peerless breakbuilding, it will only take him so far. At some stage he will have to meet fire with fire and stare down the Trump potting machine.

Above all else, this match will be a battle of the mind. Does O'Sullivan truly believe he can still outgun a peak Trump buoyed by coming through a classic match on Saturday? Conversely, Trump won't have the crowd with him for this one, and how he handles that for two days, and the inevitable O'Sullivan barrages when they come, could make or break him.

I cannot wait.

World Championship final stats

Judd Trump v Ronnie O'Sullivan head-to-head

• Matches played: 29
• Trump wins: 15
• O'Sullivan wins: 14
• Frame score: Trump 159-162 O'Sullivan

Trump v O'Sullivan head-to-head in major finals

• Finals played: 9
• Trump wins: 6
• O'Sullivan wins: 3
• Frame score: 84-73

Trump v O'Sullivan head-to-head at the Crucible

• Matches played: 1
• Trump wins: 0
• O'Sullivan wins: 1
• Frame score: 11-17

Trump route to the final

• Beat Hossein Vafaei 10-4
• Beat Anthony McGill 13-11
• Beat Stuart Bingham 13-8
• Beat Mark Williams 17-16

O'Sullivan route to the final

• Beat David Gilbert 10-5
• Beat Mark Allen 13-4
• Beat Stephen Maguire 13-5
• Beat John Higgins 17-11

Final schedule

Sunday May 1

Final (best of 35) Afternoon Session: 1300 BST TV Channel: BBC Two/Eurosport

• Judd Trump v Ronnie O'Sullivan

Evening Session: 1900 BST TV Channel: BBC Two/Eurosport

• Judd Trump v Ronnie O'Sullivan

Monday May 2

Final (best of 35) Afternoon Session: 1300 BST TV Channel: BBC/Eurosport

• Judd Trump v Ronnie O'Sullivan

Evening Session: 1900 BST TV Channel: BBC Two/Eurosport

• Judd Trump v Ronnie O'Sullivan

Related snooker links

• World Snooker Championship draw, schedule & results
• Neal Foulds' World Championship top-16 verdict
• Ronnie on the unbreakable record
• Is Ronnie O'Sullivan bad for snooker?
• Murphy completes 'Holy Grail'
• James Cooper's World Championship form guide
• Weary Higgins stares down his demons
• History of snooker's number ones
• Watch all the Crucible 147 breaks
• History of 147 breaks
• Crucible memories: Ronnie's finest hour
• Crucible memories: Higgins denies Trump
• Crucible memories: White a People's Champion
• Crucible memories: Johnson stuns Davis
• Crucible memories: Foulds' dream debut