(Newswire.net — May 12, 2017) — The Eurovision song contest Semi-Finals took place in the International Exhibition Center in Kiev, Ukraine, on the 9th and 11th of May, with the highly-anticipated final taking place on the 13th of this month. It’s shaping up to be an exciting contest with 42 European contestants all in with a chance of securing the 62nd edition of the Eurovision contest. The betting markets currently suggest there are one or two favorites that are expected to take the crown in easy fashion, but we all know predictions for the Eurovision song contest aren’t going to be easy to make regardless of what the betting markets suggest.
Italy Is the Only Odds-On Country
If you look at the betting markets it’s easy to see why Francesco Gabbani is expected to take the competition back to his native Italy. The song, Occidentali’s Karma, is expected to make waves in the Eurovision contest and as Francesco himself performed, composed, and wrote the song with the help of Fabio Ilacqua, Luca Chiaravalli, and Filippo Gabbani, it’s expected to do the job over the other contestants.
Can Kristian Kostov Take Bulgaria to a Better Finish This Year?
Bulgaria came close last year and finished in 4th spot so they will be hoping for a better finish this time around when Kristian Kostov represents the country with his own song, Beautiful Mess. Bulgaria is the second-favorite to win the competition behind Italy at a 7/1 shot, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a good chance of pipping Italy to the 62nd Eurovision crown.
Any Outsider Could Spring a Surprise
The betting markets can only do so much to help predict the outcome of the Eurovision contest. Italy is a firm favorite to take the competition back home, but when you have the likes of longshots United Kingdom (66/1) and Lucie Jones with her new release, Never Give Up On You, it throws the cats amongst the pigeons. The Brits have won the contest five times and they will be looking to make it a sixth time lucky.
Could Ireland Be the Dark Horse This Year?
You can’t disregard any of the contestants this year because we’ve seen all the surprises the Eurovision contest has come up with over the years. You could even go as far as saying Irish contestant, Brendan Murray, has a chance of taking home the prize with his Dying To Try effort. Ireland are real outsiders this year at 80/1, but seeing as Ireland hold the record for winning the contest on seven previous occasions, they could well be the ones that surprise the rest.
You can’t predict this year’s contest as there are so many potential dark horses in the competition, even though a lot of them are outsiders. If you were relying on the betting markets to predict the outcome of the contest you’d have to side with Italy and Francesco Gabbani, but there’s nothing stopping long shots Poland (100/1), last year’s winners Ukraine (100/1), or even San Marino at a massive 200/1 from entering the fray.