Brecel vs Wakelin Prediction 15 January 2025

Will Luca Brecel defeat Chris Wakelin for the third consecutive time? This is the key question around which our prediction for the first-round match of The Masters is built. The sportbooks have not identified an unequivocal favorite in the duel. And we, in turn, are also not going to make any harsh judgments yet.

Luca Brecel

Brecel has been demonstrating commendable snooker this season. However, he has been unable to break his prolonged title drought. In truly stressful situations, Luca repeatedly shows weakness due to a sharp lack of organization, which is the main reason for his ambiguous results. A few weeks earlier, the Belgian almost conquered the Masters in Riyadh (top-2), although a devastating loss to Mark Allen spoiled the overall picture (1:5). After that, the athlete managed to qualify for the main draw of the World Open, albeit not without adventures, failing to rout Julian Boyko (5:3).

Chris Wakelin

Wakelin is unlikely to deliver fantastic performances in the foreseeable future, as his current condition leaves much to be desired. A month ago, Chris reached the quarterfinals of the Scottish Open, losing to Wu Yize in a no-holds-barred fight (4:5). The Englishman is far from climbing into the top-10 of the world rankings, and he will likely continue to perform inconsistently. The athlete suffered three consecutive defeats, only putting up significant resistance against Robert Milkins (2:3).

Editorial Prediction

In this match, in our view, there will be serious intrigue. The opponents are approaching the meeting in less than ideal condition, and there are no strong reasons to believe that the fate of the coveted ticket to the next round will be decided in a grueling fight with a sudden outcome. A total over bet is the optimal option for the match.