2022 European Masters: Held Over Predictions
| Timetable | 21st February 2022 |
| Prediction | Mark Selby, Judd Trump, Ronnie O'Sullivan, and Neil Robertson |
| Odds | 1.22 (Bet €100 and win €122) |
| Bookmaker | betway |
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The 2022 European Masters is almost upon us, scheduled to take place from the 21st - 27th of February. Four spaces remain in the tournament which will be decided through the upcoming 'held over' matches. These matches were postponed from the end of last year and will be played in Leicester at the Morningside Arena.
The Fixtures for the 2022 European Masters
In the following table, you will be able to find the fixtures for the 'Held Over' Matches:
| Date | Match | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 21/02/2022 | Mark Selby vs Matthew Selt | Mark Selby |
| 21/02/2022 | Judd Trump vs Michael Judge | Judd Trump |
| 22/02/2022 | Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Nigel Bond | Ronnie O'Sullivan |
| 22/02/2022 | Neil Robertson vs Lei Peifan | Neil Robertson |
Our Match Predictions
Once again, we are going to start off with the "Held Over" qualifiers:
| Match | Our Predicted Winner |
|---|---|
| Mark Selby vs Matthew Selt | Mark Selby |
| Judd Trump vs Michael Judge | Judd Trump |
| Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Nigel Bond | Ronnie O'Sullivan |
| Neil Robertson vs Lei Peifan | Neil Robertson |
Matches to Look Out For
Below we have included our thoughts for each of the held over matches.
Mark Selby vs Matthew Selt
The World Number 1 and reigning European Masters champion, Mark Selby, will take on Matthew Salt for the right to participate in the competition proper and defend his title. Throughout his career, he has won 20 ranking titles, including four world titles, making him one of the most successful snooker players ever. Matthew Selt, on the other hand, has just the one ranking title to his name, which is the 2019 Indian Open.
These two players have played each other on nine occasions, and Selby has won seven of them, while Selt has won on two occasions. Now, while their head-to-head record heavily favours Selby, they have had a number of close matches, so Selt will be confident of putting Selby under some serious pressure. However, ultimately, we would be really surprised if Selby did not come out on top in this one.
Our match prediction: Mark Selby to win.
Judd Trump vs Michael Judge
Judd Trump is a former world number one and world champion, and he has 22 ranking titles under his belt. For many in the game, he is considered to be one of the most talented players. In the 2018/19 season, he completed the Triple Crown, picked up two other ranking titles, and became the first snooker player to win more than £1 million in prize money in one season. Michael Judge, on the other hand, has never won a ranking event, with his best performance being a semi-final in the 2004 Grand Prix.
These two have met on just three occasions and Trump has won them all, but the first one he won 5-4, the second one he won 9-6, and the third one he won 4-0. So, given what happened in the first two matches, Judge will feel that he can give Trump a game. However, at the end of the day, we really do not see Judge causing a big upset.
Our match prediction: Judd Trump to win.
Ronnie O'Sullivan vs Nigel Bond
Even those who do not know much about snooker will have heard of Ronnie O'Sullivan as he is one of the best players to have ever graced the sport. When it comes to ranking titles, he is sitting there at the top of the pile with 38 titles to his name. This has included a staggering six World Champion titles. Many people love to watch him play because of he plays like he has the cue ball on a piece of string. Nigel Bond has just the one ranking title to his name, which is the 1996 British Open, and he came close to winning the World Championship in 1995, but he lost to Stephen Hendry.
Bond and O'Sullivan have played each other six times, and O'Sullivan has never lost to him. Four of the matches that they have played have ended 6-5 in O'Sullivan's favour, so Bond will be confident that he can compete with one of the best players ever. However, the only way that we think O'Sullivan will lose this match is if he beats himself, which sometimes happen when he is not in the right frame of mind.
Our match prediction: Ronnie O'Sullivan to win.
Neil Robertson vs Lei Peifan
Neil Robertson has 22 ranking events to his name, and has the honour of being able to say that he has won a minimum of one professional event each year since 2006. He also has the distinction of being the only Australian to win a ranking event in snooker. He has compiled more than 800 centuries throughout his career, and only Trump, O'Sullivan, and John Higgins have more than him. His opponent, Lei Peifan is just 18 years old, and is ranked 107th in the world. He is just starting his snooker journey, but he is a very talented player.
These two players met for the first time in 2021, and it was Lei who came out on top in the 2021 Gibraltar Open, winning 4-2. This was quite the shock, but we do not anticipate such a result this time around. Robertson will obviously respect his opponent, but he should go on to win the match.
Our match prediction: Neil Robertson to win.
