Ali Carter vs Xing Zihao Prediction: Experience will speak in this Wednesday's matchup

The World Championship League snooker event continues, and in Group 5, 44-year-old Ali Carter will play 19-year-old Xing Zihao. Carter is undeniably the favorite to win, while Zihao comes into this encounter as the underdog. 

Ali Carter will be confident of securing a win following a record of three consecutive wins. Ali Carter defeated Jimmy White, Jak Jones, and Kyren Wilson in those games, all coming in the Helsinki International Cup. However, prior encounters to those victories saw Ali Carter pick up just one win in four consecutive matches, an 8-10 win over Barry Hawkins in the Tour Championship. However, other encounters were against Chris Wakelin, Ronnie O’Sullivan, and Stuart Maguire, and he ended up losing. As a favorite in this game, Ali Carter will be confident in being at his best, delivering class, and securing a win. 

Xing Zihao's last game was in early April, and in that encounter, he suffered a 10-5 defeat at the hands of Daniel Wells. However, prior games to that defeat saw Xing Zihao pick just two wins in as many as seven matches. In those wins, Xing Zihao defeated Ross Muir and Michael Holt in games that ended 5-1 and 10-6. However, each of his encounters against Mark Selby, Andrew Higginson, Joe Perry, Gary Wilson, Xu Si, and James Cahill all ended in defeats. While he takes on another strong opponent, Xing Zihao will hope he can step up his game and do better here as he eyes a top spot in this group.

Xing Zihao is not at a level that can be trusted against a professional player. In these matches against tough opponents, Xing Zihao has failed to step up, and while Ali Carter is on a run of victories, it is straightforward to back him in a game that should be one-sided.