Wednesday’s World Grand Prix tips: Mark Allen and Jack Lisowski to serve up thriller
- Seb Sternik
- 17 January 2024
World Grand Prix action continues in Leicester this Wednesday, with a number of mouthwatering matches on the card.
Snooker headlines have been dominated by the ongoing spat between Ronnie O’Sullivan and Ali Carter.
If there is one match which could turn everybody’s attention back onto the table, it’s Wednesday’s first-round clash between Mark Allen and Jack Lisowski.
Allen, who enters the match as favourite, reached the semi-final of the Masters before crashing out at the hands of Carter.
The Northern Irish man took out John Higgins and Mark Selby in the earlier rounds and, if he can keep up his solid form, there’s no reason why he couldn’t enjoy another big tournament run.
One obstacle facing Allen is a tough first-round draw. On his day, Lisowski can beat anybody. Though as proved against Shaun Murphy at the Masters, the 32-year-old can also be a danger when not playing at his optimum.
Five of the last eight matches between Allen and Lisowski have gone the distance and we’re expecting a similar outcome on Wednesday.
With that in mind, over five total frames is the way to go at around the 4/7 mark.
Elsewhere, Judd Trump will be looking to bag a quarter-final spot when he takes on China’s Lyu Haotian.
Trump shook off his early Masters exit by kicking off his Grand Prix campaign with a 4-2 success over Jamie Jones.
The Englishman remains one of the top outright contenders in Leicester and, unsurprisingly, he is a massive favourite to win against Haotian.
While the 26-year-old Chinese star is capable of causing problems, we’re backing a motivated Trump to turn on the style and secure a 4-1 victory in the correct score market.
