Saturday 19th National Finals Preview
The busiest Saturday yet will see 6 new entries join the roster and its a diverse group of countries here. Naturally, there's a big gap between what we know so it's simplest to tackle these in order of interest with regards to the esc season as a whole.
Malta (MESC)
Like most of the the finals, there's a clear top two of Emma Muscat and Aidan with both taking the majority of domestic and fan interest. There's no betting market here and neither are going to see Malta shoot up the odds but Emma is more the typical Maltese pick and if there's any slight suspect scoring it should favour her rather than Aidan.
Verdict: Emma Muscat
Slovenia (EMA)
BQL may have the superior stats but I'm with the fans on this- Luma have the much better song. It's not special but there is a concept there that holds some attention and far more for a juror to reward even if the execution is a bit off. Slovenia should recognise ‘All In’ is their best hope at qualifying by some distance.
Verdict: Luma
Croatia (Dora)
Migh be the first time this season so far that I feel the odds have this wrong- Marko Bosnjak is the call here. His song doesn't really build as it should but the alternative ‘Forgive Me’ is quite flawed too. Marko also has far superior stats whilst I don't think anyone is going to knock this out the park live. Worth going for the mini upset.
Verdict: Marko Bosnjak
San Marino (Una Voce Per San Marino)
Realistically, San Marino are going to pick from one of their big names and Achille Lauro fits that more than most. He's love/hate but unlike at San Remo he's a big fish in a small pond here and I can imagine the juries being lenient even if ‘Stripper’ isn't much good. Matteo Faustini looks fairly promising as an alternative but we're just picking a name at random for fun here.
Verdict: Achille Lauro
Poland (Tu Bije Serce Europy)
Anyon who's dealt with Poland before would be wary of backing a 1.33 favourite but Ochman really is the standout in this field. He’s not home and hosed (and looking more vulnerable in the Eurovision outright) but should be able to elevate his ‘River’ live. The most notable upset also came with Szpak's overwrought ballad overcoming the pop hit so Daria would need a real reversal of fortune to pull it off. It's possible TVP decide to ramp the ‘wrong’ entry however keeping her just about alive.
Verdict: Krystian Ochman
Norway (Melodi Grand Prix)
A two and a half horse race can be found in Norway with Northkid potentially joining in. NRK have attempted to bury this in second but with the h2h format something so competent and acceptable is a real threat towards the end of the night. I don't see it pulling of the upset but the price is good. Subwoolfer are posting the best of a bad bunch of stats and should still be beating Elsie as exected in the superfinal. The h2h isn't the most ideal place, but this isn't an unlikeable or real/love hate novelty act to vote against such as Trollfest so I don't imagine the anti vote will deny them.
Verdict: Subwoolfer.