The final of the International Championship will see two men who are no strangers to winning big tournaments go up against each other for a huge £175,000 first prize when Neil Robertson takes on Mark Allen on Sunday.
The two will collide over the best of 17 frames for the biggest ranking prize of the season so far. Both men have qualified for the Champion of Champions next week so there is nothing like that at stake. It is all about another huge title for both men.
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Neil Robertson
You have to give credit to Neil Robertson this week as he has overcome a host of different opposition in the tournament. He has beaten the extremely solid Mark Selby in the quarter final and the enigmatic and dangerous Jack Lisowski in a high class semi-final. We’ve seen Robertson play and score better than he has done this week but we might never have seen him compete better.
He will certainly need to compete in this final because he is up against another class act but generally Robertson handles the occasion of finals very well. If he can keep things tight with his safety you would think he will get the chances he will need to make it to 10 frames and win this title. He has got better the longer matches have gone on this week and that is never a bad thing.
Mark Allen
For me the player of the week so far has been Mark Allen. He might have got lucky in his semi-final in that Matthew Stevens outscored him but not many have been able to match the Masters champion in the scoring department this week. What I have liked about Allen is that he has been able to show his insane class even when in the deepest of holes.
We saw at Alexandra Palace that there is no occasion too huge for Allen so it is all about how well he plays in this match and whether he can pick up his form after a day off. The day off was probably needed after he was 4-0 down in the first round and had to battle through the semi-final too. He looks to be playing some of his best snooker as he looks to go one better than he went here last year.
Head to Head
These two have met on 22 previous occasions with Neil Robertson holding a 14-8 career lead in those matches. Robertson has won their only previous final which came at the Champion of Champions in 2015. Robertson has also won their three semi-finals too so he will have plenty of confidence from that but it is the Northern Irishman who has won their last two meetings.
In terms of frames Robertson has won 97 to Allen’s 75 so his victories tend to be a little more one-sided than Allen’s ones but rarely have the two men met with both players towards the top of their game.
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Betting
I’m already on Mark Allen to win this final at 22/1 having backed him outright and having scooped the each way coin I’m happy to let that ride in the hope that the full bunce comes along just like last week. I do think this final is going to be close throughout though so one bet does stand out for the contest.
Both these players look like they are playing somewhere near their best stuff and with that in mind we should get the tight final the tournament deserves. Over 16.5 frames is just under evens and it is hard to see this match being won 10-6 or easier given what both have invested in the event, especially when they have been behind. I’ll take the over on that line.
Tips
Back Over 16.5 frames for a 4/10 stake at 1.95 with William Hill
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