Higgins plays down Crucible chances

Defending champion John Higgins admits landing the World Championship will be a big task ahead of his first-round tie with Liang Wenbo.

Higgins has been struggling for form and faces a tough opening fixture against China's Wenbo, one of the rising stars of the circuit. The Scot did manage to reach the semi-finals of the Masters this season, but was dumped out in the second round of the UK Championship, the China Open and the German Masters, and Higgins admits he needs to rediscover his form if he is to secure a fifth world title. "I have not had a good season, but I have come to the Crucible before having not played well and produced some of my best form," Higgins told the Herald. "Hopefully, that's what will happen this year, but I know it's going to be tough."