Masters / Paul Krishnamurty / 14 January 2009 /

Mark Allen has been in break-building form this week and Paul Krishnamurty believes he has what it takes to knock out Mark Selby and make a serious bid for the title.

I always feel that recent form is more pivotal in snooker than most sports, and on the evidence so far this week, Mark Allen must represent a cracking bet to knock out defending champ Mark Selby in Thursday's quarter-final. After a mediocre performance in the wildcard round to beat Judd Trump, Allen's display in thrashing Ryan Day 6-1 was by far the best snooker we've seen so far at Wembley.

Ever since he turned pro, its been clear that Allen is a prolific break-builder. Last night was no exception, with quick-fire runs of 53, two 61s and 119 enough to announce Allen as a very serious contender to snatch Selby's crown. Though Selby did manage three 50+ breaks in his opening match against Ricky Walden, he was significantly less impressive in what was generally a dull, long-drawn out encounter.

Given his greater experience and tactical nous, and his status as defending champion, of course Selby must start favourite. But Selby is not totally reliable by any means, as Walden very nearly proved, and at [2.5] there's no question for me that Allen represents the value bet here.

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