Five players to watch ahead of the World Snooker Championship

GRATEFUL EIGHT: Ronnie O’Sullivan is targeting an eighth world snooker title. Pic: Bradley Collyer/PA

Ronnie O’Sullivan bids for a record eighth title of the modern era while in-form Mark Allen attempts to break a desperate Crucible run as the World Snooker Championship returns to Sheffield on Saturday.

Here, the PA news agency picks out five players to watch, all of whom have the potential to lift the prestigious title on May Bank Holiday.