Tonight’s the night, when the first semi-final of Eurovision 2009 takes place in Moscow. Yesterday I previewed the first 10 countries that’ll be competing in Tuesday’s extravaganza, but here’s what else you can expect from the night, together with who’s likely to qualify, who might make the cut and who’ll be packing their bags by the time the night is over….

BULGARIA – Illusion by Krassimir Avramov
Another relative newcomer to the Eurovision fold, Bulgaria have a less than admirable track record on the Eurovision stage, having made the final only once, in 2007 (although they did finish fifth). Whether or not they’ll make it this year remains to be seen.Krassimir (that’s the moody bloke in the photo)’s song is a modern dance number, singled out by his high-pitched falsetto vocals and what promises to be a bizarre,flamboyant stage show – but that’s not necessarily enough to win Eurovision.A borderline qualifier, I suspect.

ICELAND – Is It True by Yohanna
Given recent world economy related current affairs, I feel obliged to ask at this point whether Iceland could actually afford to host Eurovision next year should they win. The reason I ask is because they have come up with their best effort in years, a stark,simple ballad sung by a pretty girl that’s reminiscent of the Norwegian song that did so well last year. Iceland have never actually won Eurovision (although they came within a hair’s breadth in 1999) but this is something of a dark horse, one which could find itself in the upper reaches of the scoreboard if the voting public has an appetite for another ballad. One to watch.

FYR MACEDONIA – Neshto Shto Ke Ostane by Next Time
Now here’s one country which has an enviable track record in semi-final terms, having qualified every year except for 2008 (and they would have qualified then if it wasn’t for the introduction of a ‘jury vote’ which pushed them out of the running – had it been solely on public vote they would have been in there). How much of this is down to friendly voting is however debatable since with one notable exception (2006′s Ninananja) it’s debatable whether or not they deserved to be there (especially given some far superior songs which have missed out on the final as a result). Given this, there would be every reason to believe they would make it this year as well – were it not for the fact that their song is truly awful, a bit of ‘hair’ rock that will lead you to believe that while it may be 2009 in the rest of the world, in Skopje it is still 1986. Fingers crossed it won’t qualify, but I have a horrible feeling it might.

ROMANIA – The Balkan Girls by Elena
The Romanians have done very well in Eurovision since the advent of the semi-final and are fast taking their place near the top of the list of countries who really deserve to win this thing. Sadly it’s unlikely to be this year since their song is actually quite disappointing. It’s perky and lively enough and Elena is really likeable but given some of the high quality entries they have churned out in recent years this just sounds a little cheap. Still given their popularity on the Eurovision stage they may scrape through.

FINLAND – Lose Control by Waldo’s People
Aka Brian Walden’s People, Saffron Walden’s People or whatever you want to call them because it sounds funny, this is a corker of a tune from the Finns, complete with rapping, dance beats and a chorus you won’t be able to resist singing. In any other year this would sail through to the final – and hopefully it will – but the field is so crowded this year that something has to miss out and I can’t help thinking this might be the one. Would love to see it in the line-up on Saturday however.

PORTUGAL – Todas As Ruas Do Amor by Flor-de-lis
Since Finland’s victory in 2006 Portugal have taken over the mantle of being the longest serving Eurovision country never to actually win. They had a cracking chance last year with the fabulous Lady Of The Sea by the formidable Vania Fernandes, but generally you tend to get the impression that Portugal just throw out the nearest song that sounds vaguely tuneful and leave it at that (not only have they never won, but the highest they have ever finished is sixth which is a real shame – after all who wouldn’t want Eurovision in Lisbon?) They are however very beloved of Eurovision devotees (possibly because they feel sorry for them, who knows?) and as such this pleasant but unmemorable folky tune has picked up a lot of support. For that reason it looks like a likely qualifier although probably won’t achieve much more than that.

MALTA – What If We by Chiara
And so to another long-serving country who have yet to win Eurovision – and if we’re being honest, there is no other country who wants it more (at least not now Russia has a victory under its belt). In Malta (as I can testify following a recent trip there), Eurovision is treated with extreme reverence – possibly because it is such a big event for such a tiny country – and a win would probably cause national celebrations, even if, as the Maltese are quick to admit, there isn’t actually a suitable venue in the capital Valletta to hold the contest. If this year’s participant looks familiar it’s because she is – Chiara has represented Malta twice before, finishing third in Birmingham in 1998 and second in Kiev in 2005. Can she go one better this year? Probably not but expect a haunting performance of this ballad and the best Maltese result for a while.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA – Bistra Voda by Regina
If you’ve ever wondered what the Bosnian answer to Coldplay might be like (because no doubt you’ve lain awake nights thinking about it) then your answer is right here, since there are shades of Chris Martin’s chart-toppers in rock combo Regina (although that may have something to do with their fondness for wearing Viva La Vida-esque military garb on stage). Bistra Voda – which means Clear Water – has emerged as the runaway favourite to not only win this semi-final but possibly also snatch the entire contest from under the noses of hot favourites Norway,and it’s not hard to see why. An epic rock ballad (but not a dated sounding one) with a vaguely ethnic feel, this is simply one of the highlights of the contest and a surefire bet for the final. And possibly even Sarajevo 2010…..