Mark Selby begins his quest for a fourth Masters crown when he takes on Ali Carter in the first round at Alexandra Palace on Monday evening.
The Jester from Leicester last took the title in 2013, but he has not made it past the quarter-final stage in his last 10 appearances at the event.
The four-time world champion started the season with a bang by taking the British Open in spectacular style, beating John Higgins 10-5 in the final.
But his only other notable performance this year was his semi-final appearance at the Snooker Shoot-out, which was sandwiched between early exits at the UK Championship and Scottish Open.
Carter, on the other hand, has enjoyed a solid start to the 2024/25 season, reaching the semi-finals of the Champion of Champions and the quarter-finals of the UK Championship.
The Captain is bidding to go one step further than his runner-up finish in last year's Masters.
His run to the final in 2024, where he was beaten 10-7 by arch-rival Ronnie O’Sullivan after leading 6-3, was a reminder of the 44-year-old’s quality and he'll be eager to prove it was no fluke.
Selby holds a 25-16 head-to-head advantage, improving his record with four straight wins over the Captain since Carter’s last victory in their personal series in 2023.
Mark Selby -1.5 match handicap - 8/11
Selby’s tactical acumen and steely determination make him a formidable opponent in the best-of-11 format.
The 41-year-old goes into the tournament fresh from winning Group Four of the Championship League by whitewashing Jak Jones 3-0 in the final.
He also beat Carter 3-1 only a few days ago in Group Three of the same invitational tournament.
Selby's recent British Open victory and return to form suggest he is mentally and technically sharp enough to claim a comfortable win over Carter, who has struggled with consistency throughout his career.
The Captain won the last time these two Englishmen met at the Masters in 2020, but Selby has taken the last two meetings over a format of nine frames or more, 5-0 and 5-3.
Mark Selby 1st session winner - 6/5
Selby got off to a fast start when he faced Higgins in the British Open final earlier this season and it would be no surprise to see him dominate the early frames against Carter.
The Leicester man has taken the first frame in five of their last seven clashes and three of their opening four in two of their last three meetings.
Selby’s current form appears to be better than Carter’s and the Captain may struggle to emulate his successful run to the final of the Masters last season.
Even then, he won the opening session of only one of his four matches at Alexandra Palace in 2024.
Either player to win 3 successive frames - No - 12/5
While Selby should overcome Carter in this opening clash, it is by no means certain that he will run away with the match.
The Captain is an experienced pro and is known to be one of the hardest players on the circuit to shake off.
In last year’s Masters final, Carter surged into a 6-3 lead before being reeled in by O’Sullivan.
The Rocket took three frames in a row to bring it back to 6-6 and then claimed the last three of the match to win 10-7.
However, Selby is not quite the force that O’Sullivan can be in his pomp and this match will probably be a nip-and-tuck affair until the Jester forces his way over the finishing line.
Carter also looked mentally and emotionally drained by the end of that match while this clash will see two relatively fresh players scrap it out for a place in the last eight.
Backing neither player to reel off three frames in a row looks a value bet at 12/5 given the close nature of their most recent clashes.
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Mark Selby - 4/9
Ali Carter - 7/4
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This article was written by a partner sports writer via Spotlight Sports Group. All odds displayed on this page were correct at the time of writing and are subject to withdrawal or change at any time.