Ebdon: I'll probably lose

In one of the most bizarre statements I have ever read, Peter Ebdon has been quoted on the world snooker website saying he expects not to win at the Shanghai Qualifiers that begin on Monday.

Due to a lack of practice time, The Force believes victory is unlikely.

It seems a strange admission as the world number 18 only has to win one match to qualify for the tournament.

He could face any of Dominic Dale, Michael Judge, Michael White or Liu Chuang.

If Ebdon does surprise himself and qualify, he'll face Neil Robertson in the first round.

Here's what he said in full...

"I would like to make it known that I consider that I will not be in a position to play to the best of my ability in my Roewe Shanghai Masters qualifying match in Sheffield next week.

"This is down to personal circumstances, including the fact that I am getting re-married in Hungary this weekend. Since playing in a recent tournament in Thailand I have not been able to practise, and by the time the qualifiers come around I will not have played for ten days or more.

"I know just how bad I can be when I don't feel properly prepared as I am the type of player who needs to practise hard in order to play to a reasonable standard.

"As always, I will be doing my utmost to win what is a very important match for me but in truth, my levels of expectation will not be very high."