Twelve of the world top snooker players descend on the Manchester Central Convention Complex for the penultimate ranking event of the 2023-24 season.

This season has been dominated by just a few talents – Judd Trump has five ranking events, Ronnie O'Sullivan two and Mark Allen two. 'The Rocket' has also secured three non-ranking events in a dominating season.

Trump (15/8), O'Sullivan (6/4), Zhang Anda (16/1) and Ding Junhui (11/1) are the four seeds who advance to the best of 19 frame quarter-finals with Mark Williams (25/1), Tom Ford (100/1), Mark Allen (14/1), John Higgins (18/1), Gary Wilson (50/1), Mark Selby (15/2), Barry Hawkins (40/1) and Ali Carter (33/1) completing the line-up for the tournament.

Trump, 'The Ace in The Pack', has been the form horse this season claiming the English Open, Wuhan Open and Northern Ireland Open in a purple patch in October. Further successes in 2024 at the German Masters and last month's World Open make him a solid selection.

He'll face either Williams or Ford in the last eight before a meeting with one of Junhui, Allen or Higgins in the semi-final.

Seven-time world champion O'Sullivan wasn't at his best in the recent World Open, but still put together several high-scoring breaks. 'The Rocket' is on for a season triple-crown with victories at the UK Championship and The Masters already on his resumé.

O'Sullivan will face-off against either Barry Hawkins or Ali Carter in the quarter-finals before a last four meeting with either Zhang, Wilson or Selby.

The value selection could be Wilson, who is seeded six for the tournament, having won the Scottish Open in December and the Welsh Open in February. His route is difficult with Selby, Zhang and O'Sullivan in his way, but he has all the tools to cause a 50/1 upset. Even the 12/5 price is palatable to bypass Selby.

However, history favours Selby who has won his last six matches against Wilson – he's 1/3 to win their round one meeting

Elsewhere, Allen is 8/11 to topple Higgins, Williams boasts 4/9 favouritism over Ford and Hawkins is an Evens underdog against Carter (4/5). A finalist forecast of Trump against O'Sullivan is 9/5, with Trump v Selby 13/2.