Eurovision Song Contest / Gary Boswell / 27 March 2012 /

As one of the oldest non-sporting competitions in the world, the Eurovision is notoriously difficult to predict. This year seems especially so, with no obvious stand-out tracks or shoo-in winners. That said, these are the entries that have caught my eye.

Russia - Buranovskiye Babushki - "Party for Everybody" ([7.6])

Second favourites behind Sweden ([3.25]), the Grannies from Buranovo have every chance of being the Lordi of this year's competition. Singing pop tracks in their regional Udmurt language, they have the stand-out factor that could carry them to a win. The fact that they are reputedly donating all proceeds towards building a church in their home of Buranovo could well add to their pulling power. Add to that the fact that their entry is actually a catchy, upbeat song and we could have a winner on our hands.

Ukraine - Gaitana - "Be My Guest" ([210.0])

Half-Ukrainian, half-Congolese, Gaitana brings an upbeat salsa feel to this year's festivities, something that Ukraine is certainly not known for. She's a massive outsider, but the song sounds like something plucked straight from the charts here in Britain and she has certainly got a set of pipes on her, so musically she's got the pedigree. If she can get the former soviet bloc voting for her, she's certainly got a chance, and with the Ukraine's recent form, winning in 2004, it's not beyond the realms of possibility that Gaitana could cause a big shock in Baku.

Ireland - Jedward - "Waterline" ([36.0])

What can I say? Jedward are back again, having achieved a very respectable eighth in last year's competition. And despite some people's (Simon Cowell included) dismay, the Eurovision is perhaps the ideal vehicle for the gruesome twosome's relentlessly upbeat assault on music. Their inane yet somehow lovable style, certainly seemed to win some hearts last year, earning them a cracking haul of 119 points. And they're unlikely to change their ideas for this year's competition. Whether the novelty has worn off remains to be seen, but their "unique" style certainly makes them memorable, which is half the battle.

Estonia - Ott Lepland - "Kuula" ([140.0])

A fairly major demographic, the pretty boy vote this year looks likely to head towards Estonia's Ott Lepland. Winner of the third season of Estonian Pop Idol, he's got a good voice and a listenable track, and his good looks should steer a few votes his way. With Estonia being the most successful Baltic country in Eurovision history, having been the first former Soviet country to achieve a top 5 finish, Lepland seems the ideal candidate to extend their period of dominance.

United Kingdom - Engelbert Humperdinck - "Love Will Set You Free"

And so we come to the UK. Only finished outside the top 10 twice in the first 42 years, but only finished inside it twice since 1998, but the UK still holds one of the best Eurovision records overall, if not so much in recent years. Since the infamous "nul points" Jemini incident, it feels like the UK have been a bit of a laughing stock, only punctuated by Jade Ewen's valiant fifth place in 2004. This year could see a return to form however, in the most unlikely shape of Engelbert Humperdinck. Set to become the oldest man to ever compete, and only pipped to the post of oldest competitor by Buranovskiye Babushki's Natalya Pugachyova, the 76-year-old injects some of the class that Britain's entrants have lacked recently. Whether he can win it is debatable, but a top ten finish ought to be on the cards.

Recommended Bets:

Russia to win @ [6.4]
rfr=3013">Estonia to finish top 4 @ [5.0]
Ukraine to finish top 5 @ [4.0]
Ireland to finish top 10 @ [2.4]
United Kingdom to finish top 10 @ [1.6]

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