Odds Review: Week Ending 26/02

I was otherwise engaged last Sunday and in all honesty not much needed reporting on meaning this is our first update in 2 weeks with much to discuss.

We start at the top of the market where the week marking the anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine also marks the end of their year long rain as favourites for the upcoming Eurovision edition. In an interesting twist of fate, Sweden’s Loreen is the one to cause this who herself will be closing in on most cumulative time as a Eurovision favourite in the odds. The one to beat but beatable would be a fair assessment of ‘Tattoo’ at this stage which looks certain to win Melodifestivalen.

Finland have floated around this week with Kaarijaa dominating the competition at UMK. The scale of his victory and popular love out there rather than the performance would be more encouraging for backers and the can this get jury support debate will continue.

Both of these developments have spelt bad news for the rest of the field in particular Nordic neighbour Norway who have almost doubled in price.

New entries since our last update have come from Australia, San Marino, Lithuania, France and Poland the most rated of which sits at 50-1 with not one meeting whatever market expectations were there.

We have a name in Switzerland of Remo Forrer and it’s not one that has done them any favours with a pretty harsh drift kicking in before the Loreen development. This leaves just the UK and Azerbaijan where we don’t have a name yet though there are pretty solid rumours for both.

In what must be a first at eurovision the winner of a semi final sits at least at 70-1 to win the overall contest with any hopes left in semi 2 pinned on Armenia and Georgia.

Next week sees Iceland, Serbia, Germany and Moldova select whilst Cyprus release their full track. Not just through the default of not having heard anything from them vs the others, The Netherlands is probably the only hope of seriously shaking the market when they reveal on the 1st.