Judd Trump v Neil Robertson: German Masters 2020 Final preview – Box office left-handers vie for glory

Two of the hottest properties on planet snooker face off in a mouth-watering German Masters final on Sunday as Judd Trump takes on Neil Robertson in Berlin.

The left-handed pair have racked up nine televised titles between them over the past 12 months alone and now face off for the right to become the new name on the German Masters trophy.

One of the most atmospheric venues on the calendar provides the setting for what promises to be a thrilling final as the world number one and three battle it out at the Tempodrom.

Trump was runner-up here in 2014 and is looking to add this title to his 14 other ranking triumphs, which have included four in the last 12 months.

The Bristol ace thrashed Noppon Saengkham 5-1 in Round One before defying a brace of tons from Luca Brecel to wrap up a 5-2 win and going on to thrash Michael Georgiou 5-1 with two centuries of his own.

He then dispatched 2006 World Champion Graeme Dott 6-4 in Saturday’s Semis to move into a fourth ranking final in eight appearances this season.

The reigning World Champion will be encouraged by his strong recent record in ranking finals, having won each of his last six dating back to 2017.

Robertson, meanwhile, has stretched his unbeaten run in the new European Series to nine matches to remain on course for back-to-back titles following last week’s European Masters success.

The Australian ace is already well on course to scoop the £150,000 BetVictor European Series bonus for the most successful player in the quartet of events which also includes the Shoot-Out and the Gibraltar Open.

Robertson, who has claimed a televised title every year since 2006, has dropped just two frames en route to the final, thrashing Ian Burns 5-1 before whitewashing Mitchell Mann and Elliot Slessor.

He then powered past Shaun Murphy 6-1 in the Semi-Finals to break new ground in Berlin and go within one win of leapfrogging Mark Selby to reach 18 ranking titles and go sixth on the all-time list.

This will be the 22nd meeting between the two box office stars, with Trump holding the narrow upper-hand with 11 wins to ten since 2006.

Their most recent encounter was an epic Champion of Champions final last November which saw Robertson claim glory in a last-frame shoot-out thanks to a sensational break of 137.

Their latest show-down gets underway from 1pm GMT for a total of eight frames before being played to a finish over the best of 17 from 7pm.

WATCH TRUMP vs ROBERTSON STREAMED LIVE HERE (18+)

Player’s View:

Trump: “This is one of the best venues when it gets down to one table, it’s up there with the Masters. The noise when you walk out is amazing.

“It’s important to try and tick off all the events that I haven’t won and it’s always nice to go to new places and win new events.

“This is one I haven’t won in the past and that I always look forward to coming to.”

Robertson: “I’ve just carried on from last week. I only dropped a few frames then as well. I am like that in practise, I get really annoyed if I lose a frame to anyone.

“The occasion will be enough. I don’t have time to think about other things like where I am in the order of merit.

“I’ve been doing everything I possibly can to get the best results and I am really proud of myself with the way it has paid off.”