John Higgins insists Mark Selby will start Sunday's Evergrande China Championship final as the clear title favourite.
Both multiple former world champions saw off Chinese opposition in the semi-finals on Saturday to set up their clash in Beijing for the £150,000 top prize.
Higgins fended off Lyu Haotian 6-3 and Selby grafted to fend off Zhao Xintong 6-4, after his 21-year-old opponent came from 4-1 behind to draw level.
Veteran Scot Higgins said of the prospect of taking on Leicester cue star Selby: "I'll be a big underdog, the way I'm playing."
But the 43-year-old from Wishaw is a formidable opponent himself, as Selby acknowledged.
"John Higgins is a phenomenal player so it will be a very tough final," said 35-year-old Selby, who beat Higgins in the 2017 Crucible final. "I will just enjoy it and try my hardest."
Lyu relished his encounter with Higgins, and the 20-year-old told worldsnooker.com: "I need to learn a lot from top players like Higgins because they stay in the match and turn it around when things are not going well."
