World number 16 Mark Allen says he will have to be at his “very, very best” to get past Joe Perry in the second round of the 2018 World Championship. Allen managed to get the better of debutant Liam Highfield in round one, winning 10-5, and he looked impressive during that victory, making seven breaks over 50.
The Northern Irishman may have expected to take on defending champion Mark Selby next but, in a huge shock, the ‘Jester from Leicester’ was ousted 10-4 by fellow Englishman Joe Perry at the first hurdle. Neither Allen nor Perry have put together a successful run at the Crucible for the past five years but both will be optimistic of their chances of advancing into the quarter-finals. The pair go head-to-head on Thursday in the first session of their match and it is the English ace that has the better record, having won seven of their previous 15 meetings.
Allen, who won the 2018 Dafabet Masters, knows the threat of Perry and insists only a top performance will ensure a spot in the next stage of the tournament. “A lot of people would have expected Mark to get through the first round and I’m no different but Joe is a class act and he deserves a lot of credit for the way he played,” he told BBC Sport. “He showed what he is capable of and punished the mistakes Mark made heavily, while scoring very, very well himself. I expect more of the same on Thursday and Friday. That’s just Joe, he plays to a similar level all the time and I will need to be at my very, very best.”
Allen is the marginal 4/7 favourite to pick up the win while Perry, who has made it to four quarter-finals this season, is priced at 7/5.
Snooker odds available at Dafabet.