Neil Robertson believes that his late entry to the Johnstone's Paint Masters could make him "very dangerous" as he prepares for his clash with John Higgins on the opening afternoon at Alexandra Palace.
Robertson, who won this event in 2012 and 2022 and was also runner-up in 2013 and 2015, only found out on Friday morning that he had a place in the 16-man field, after Ronnie O'Sullivan's withdrawal. Having been 17th on the seeding list at the end of the Victorian Plumbing UK Championship, the Australian was first reserve and has been handed a chance to win a third Paul Hunter Trophy.
He'll go head-to-head with Higgins on Sunday at 1pm, their first meeting since the 2022 Tour Championship final when Robertson came from 9-4 down to win 10-9.
"I haven't had that much time to prepare, but I have been playing and I am ready to step in," he told Talksport. "I always believe I can win. The mindset is different, maybe the fact that I haven't been thinking about it for the last few weeks helps. I have nothing to lose because I wasn't expecting to be in it. That can always make someone very dangerous. I am capable of going all the way, but I'm just so happy to be in it because you never want to miss out on the Masters.
"It has the best atmosphere of any tournament and it's not even close, all the players say that. It's one table and over 2,000 people, and it's a tenacious crowd."
Certain sessions are sold out but others still have availability from as little as £32 - for ticket details CLICK HERE and for the match schedule click here.