John Higgins takes on Chris Steadman in the third round of the Welsh Open on Thursday.

The Scot booked his spot with a 4-2 win over home hopeful Dominic Dale as the Wizard of Wishaw seeks his first trophy of the season.

Higgins is the defending champion in Cardiff and tends to do well in the event, having claimed the title five times.

The 43-year-old has previously indicated he could retire at the end of the current campaign if he cannot rediscover his form, so he will be looking to get back to his best in the build-up to the World Championship.

Higgins has 10 Triple Crown titles to his name but has failed to make any impact in the biggest events this season. The four-time world champion fell in the second round in the UK Championship and the first round of the Dafabet Masters.

Higgins is 1.20 to down Steadman and 3.50 to win 4-1, with Higgins 12.00 to win the Welsh Open outright. Steadman can be backed at 4.33 to come out on top at the Motorpoint Arena in the Welsh capital.

Higgins has reached the World Championship final in Sheffield in each of the last two seasons, with Mark Selby seeing him off in 2017 before Mark Williams took the title last year, and he is 21.00 to go one better and take the top prize in 2019.