Snooker betting tips: Gibraltar Open
2pts Robert Milkins to beat Liang Wenbo at 11/10 (General)
1pt Jamie O'Neill to beat Lu Ning at 7/4 (Paddy Power, Betfair)
Liang Wenbo v Robert Milkins (1400)
ROBERT MILKINS looks to have his game in good working order at present and is worth a bet to see off Liang Wenbo on Friday.
The vastly experienced Milkins is a treat to watch when in full flow and has played really well this season without enjoying a deep run somewhere along the way that his form probably deserves.
Milkins has already beaten the likes of David Gilbert, Graeme Dott, Stuart Bingham and Neil Robertson and I thought he played really well when knocking in breaks of 133 and 53 in defeat to Alexander Ursenbacher at the Welsh Open recently.
Having gritted his teeth to beat Gary Wilson on Monday, Milkins still looks to be in good touch and will surely relish the prospect of coming up against Wenbo here.
Like Milkins, Wenbo is another aggressive operator who can be a handful for anyone on his day, for all consistency hasn’t proved to be his strength more recently.
A beaten finalist in the 2015 UK Championship, Wenbo hasn't scaled anywhere near those dizzy heights in the last few years and his form in the last few months is concerning.
In fact, Wenbo hasn’t really shown much since pushing Mark Selby close at the World Grand Prix in December.
The Chinese is the type to turn it on without much warning, but everything else points to Milkins being the safer bet right now and 11/10 about him looks fair enough.
Lu Ning v Jamie O'Neill (1130 Friday)
JAMIE O'NEILL continues to go under the radar but is developing into a tough cookie and 7/4 for him to get to the better of Lu Ning on Friday is worth an investment.
This season has represented a breakthrough campaign for the 34-year-old whose run to fourth round of the Scottish Open saw him beat Shaun Murphy and very nearly Ding Junhui.
O’Neill ran with that momentum when again getting the better of Murphy at the German Masters before taking subsequent Welsh Open hero Jordan Brown to a deciding frame in the last 16.
Fine shooting from Jamie O'Neill! 👊
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Two centuries for O’Neill in his first match this week confirms he remains in good nick and I’m hopeful he can at least give the classy Ning a good run for his money.
Ning showcased his abilities when enjoying a surprise run to the last four of the UK Championship before Christmas, but he hasn’t pulled up any trees since.
Having lost to Dylan Emery in the first round of the Welsh Open, Ning was routed by Neil Robertson at the Players Championship before only scraping past Simon Lichtenberg here on Wednesday.
Ning is clearly the class act on show here, but O’Neill has recent form and an upwardly mobile profile that suggests he will give a good account of himself.
As such, this match promises to be competitive enough to make backing O’Neill on the handicap (+1.5) an interesting proposition at 5/6. That was considered, but 7/4 for him to win the match is more appealing and requires a smaller investment.
Preview posted at 1545 GMT 04/03/12
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