With just a few hours to go before the first semifinal is concluded and ten songs proceed to the final, we take a last look at the bookies’ odds as tonight’s countries prepare.

Amongst the bookmakers offering odds on countries to make the final, the standing is as follows:

1. Armenia
2. Portugal
3. Sweden
4. Azerbaijan
5. Greece
6. Finland
7. Moldova
8. Australia
9. Belgium
10. Cyprus
11. Poland
12. Latvia
13. Georgia
14. Slovenia
15. Iceland
16. Albania
17. Montenegro
18. Czech Republic

Looking only at the current odds to win the whole contest, tonight’s countries are ranked somewhat differently:

1. Portugal
2. Sweden
3. Armenia
4. Azerbaijan
5. Finland
6. Australia
7. Belgium
8. Greece
9. Moldova
10. Poland
11. Georgia
12. Cyprus
13. Iceland
14. Montenegro
15. Latvia
16. Albania
17. Czech Republic
18. Slovenia

Combining the tables gives the impression of a Cyprus-Poland tussle for that last final place.

Can the bookies do it again?

Last year, the bookies collectively predicted nine out of ten of the first semifinal qualifiers. Surprises are, as with every Eurovision Song Contest, expected. Iceland enjoyed a spot high in last year’s qualifier favourites until its shock ejection. Conversely, the Netherlands were not amongst the dead certs before the first semifinal of 2014, but went on to land silver in the grand final.

The only certainty is this: when the qualifiers are revealed this evening, we will have the first indicators of how accurate the bookmakers’ favourites are for 2017.