Trump tackles on fire Maguire in Masters snooker opener

The 2015 Masters snooker second and third favourites Judd Trump (6/1 with Coral) and Neil Robertson (7/1) take to the baize at Alexandra Palace on day two, and are expected to advance from their respective first round matches.

Here we preview ‘the Juddernaut’ taking on Stephen Maguire in a 2014 UK Championship semi-final rematch, and ‘the Thunder from Down Under’ meeting Robert Milkins.

Judd Trump v Stephen Maguire
Glasgow’s man ‘on fire’ Maguire holds a substantial head-to-head advantage of 11-5 over Bristol native Trump, yet the Scottish potter is a 15/8 outsider to win their latest match-up.

When these two met in York back in December, also in a best of 11 frames format, ‘the Ace in the Pack’ triumphed 6-4. Odds-on 2/5 match favourite Trump is a 5/1 shot to record that exact result again.

Maguire is a relative tournament outsider at 25/1, but should feel confident based on his dominance of previous meetings with Trump. That 15/8 price on the Glaswegian winning is enhanced to 5/1 in a Coral match special were Maguire also needs to make the highest break of their match.

In a similar vein, Trump’s odds-on status is bettered to even-money, if punters back him to score heaviest in this first round fixture.

Neil Robertson v Robert Milkins
The Thunder has won all but one of his five previous meetings with ‘the Milkman’, but the one major upset came at the Crucible in 2013. Robertson is odds-on at 2/9 (enhanced to 4/6 in the win and make the highest break special market) to beat Milkins here, though.

These two last met on Robertson’s native Australian soil in July in what was a comfortable win in a first to five frames contest. Milkins is a massive match outsider at 10/3 (9/1 for victory while recording the highest break).