Ronnie O'Sullivan is in imperious form, but Mark Allen has the game to go all the way and win his first world title, according to 1997 champion Ken Doherty.
The quarter-finals get underway today at the Crucible, with some household names alongside more inexperienced campaigners.
O’Sullivan’s quest for an unprecedented eighth world title continues against world number nine Luca Brecel. The Belgian is on his maiden run beyond the last-32 in the competition, while the Rocket is in the last eight for the 21st time in his career.
Anthony McGill versus Si Jiahui pits two qualifiers against each other, with the 20-year-old from China looking to prove his first-round win over Shaun Murphy was no fluke, while the meeting of John Higgins and Mark Selby is the heavyweight clash of the round, the pair sharing eight titles between them.
The other quarter-final clash sees in-form Mark Allen take on 29-year-old debutant Jak Jones.
Allen, who won three ranking tournaments between October and January before seeing his form dip a little has looked at his ease so far, crushing Stuart Bingham 13-4 last time out.
When the 37-year-old lost to O’Sullivan in last year’s second-round match in Sheffield, he weighed 19 stone, but a dramatic change in lifestyle last year saw the 'Pistol’ lose almost six stone.
According to 1997 World Champion Doherty, Allen is reaping the benefits and could be the man to take home the winner’s cheque of £500,000 on Monday week.
"I think he can go all the way," he told RTÉ Radio 1's Morning Ireland.
"He’s lost six stone in weight, which at the World Championship, will certainly help him because 17 days is a marathon of the mind as much as the body.
"He’s a lot lighter, can reach different shots. He’s feeling good about himself and playing so well. He has a great chance.
"He came in as one of the favourites. He’s been number one for the season by a mile and playing some beautiful snooker."
The presence of O’Sullivan, as ever, looms over everyone else.
The 47-year-old crushed Hossein Vafaei 13-2 in round two, dismantling the Iranian following the verbal spat prior to the game, putting to bed quickly the prospect of a grudge match.
"The way he destroyed Hussein...No-one has ever done that against Ronnie (blast the red balls from the break), particularly in the World Championship, but I think he poked the bear a little bit too much," Doherty said.
"I think Ronnie was very determined and very focused and looked imperious.
"He hasn’t had much form coming into the World Championship, but he’s looking for his eighth title and that would make him undoubtedly the greatest, which he probably is anyway."
