- Chris Dobey has won his last four matches against Rob Cross 
- Chris Dobey hit 14 180s in his third-round victory 
- Recommended bet: Chris Dobey to win

The first quarter-final at Alexandra Palace on New Year's Day features two Englishmen — Chris Dobey and Rob Cross. Both men have been playing well and a tight tussle could be on the cards.

World number 17 Dobey has beaten William O'Connor, Ross Smith and defending champion Michael Smith to make it this far, matching his best run at the World Championships achieved last year, but he will not be wanting it to end on Monday.

Cross of course won this tournament on debut in 2018 but has not gone past the fourth round since then, until now — beating Thibault Tricole, Jeffrey de Graaf and Jonny Clayton to set up this quarter-final clash — and a revenge mission for his Masters final defeat of around 11 months ago.

The stats

Rob Cross has lost only two sets in this competition so far.

Chris Dobey won 4-2 when he met Rob Cross in last year's World Championship, while he won 11-7 in the final of the Masters at the end of January.

Chris Dobey hit 52% of his doubles against Michael Smith in the last round.

Chris Dobey averaged 102 in beating the defending champion last time out.

Prediction

Chris Dobey has grown much more comfortable on the big stage over the last 12 months and Hollywood can take his place in the World Championship semi-finals by beating Rob Cross.

Success is unlikely to be easy for Dobey — Cross has been in solid nick in this event and won it in 2018 — but Dobey's scoring power could prove decisive. 

He won the Masters at the start of 2023, then earned a place in the Premier League, performing well in front of enormous crowds.

Dobey showed in the Premier League that he is capable of beating anybody — he thrashed Michael van Gerwen 6-0 in their Nottingham meeting — and at the age of 33 he seems ready to go close to World Championship glory.

In the last round, Dobey came up against defending Ally Pally champion Michael Smith. 

A meeting with Bully Boy on the stage he conquered 12 months ago should have been a tough mission for Dobey, but he cruised to a 4-0 success, humbling his good friend.

All three opponents Dobey has faced in this World Championship have performed well against him, with respective averages of 97.22 (William O'Connor), 103.33 (Ross Smith) and 102.47 (Michael Smith), but Dobey has been able to overcome the challenges. 

It has been top-class stuff from the Bedlington boy throughout — and he can edge Cross on New Year's Day.

The top half of the World Championship draw is wide-open, with Peter Wright, Michael Smith, Gerwyn Price and Gary Anderson all having been knocked out, so Dobey will be sensing a fantastic chance to make his first final.

Cross knows he can produce at Ally Pally, having beaten Phil Taylor in the final six years ago, so the chances of him being swept aside with ease are slim. 

Dobey, though, arguably deserves to be a shorter-price favourite for the contest given the consistency and class he has been showing over recent months.

Maybe a 5-3 victory for Dobey is in the offing, but a safer bet would be to just back Alan Shearer's pal at a shade of odds-on to win the match.

Back Chris Dobey to win at 17/20 with LiveScore Bet.