Morena still outside bookmakers' top 10

With just 24 hours to go before Morena's big test at the Eurovision Song Contest's second semi-final, she continues to walk a tightrope of odds as bookmakers differ on whether Malta will qualify for the final.

British bookmakers William Hill have consistently kept Malta in 13th place offering punters odds of 33:1 that Morena will make it through to the second round.

SkyBet too is placing Malta in 13th place offering odds of 40:1 that she will qualify. The two hot favourites among the majority of bookmakers are Ukraine's Ani Lorak and Russia's Dima Bilan.

Meanwhile, in a poll conducted among the media at the press centre, Morena keeps re-emerging among the top 10, sometimes placing ninth and eighth and then slipping back to 11th place. Until yesterday, she was holding strong at ninth.

For Malta to qualify for Saturday's final, Morena needs to place among the top 10 entries during tomorrow's semi-final and competition is tough.

"The feedback we are getting is split right down the middle and I feel our chances are 50-50. Countries such as Ukraine and Turkey are obvious frontrunners, but Malta's situation is not clear cut," Maltasong chairman Robert Abela said.

Philip Vella and Gerard James Borg, the composer and author respectively of the song Vodka, felt the same way, but they were happy with Malta's overall package on the international stage.

"I'm not worried in the least and at night I sleep soundly because I'm happy with the product we are presenting. Now it depends what the voting public is in the mood for and it's up to them to decide," Mr Vella said.

He added that from what he could gauge, the fans took a while to warm up to Malta's entry, but once Morena arrived in Serbia and began mingling with the crowd, they could not resist falling for her charm.

"It's only once she began rehearsing and her presence was felt that her position in the media poll began to inch upwards," he said.

Mr Vella and Mr Borg explained that sound-wise, despite the logistical nightmare of having the dancers and backing vocals sing along with Morena, the final package was looking good.

"After the first rehearsal we discarded a lot of camera shots and changed them to our satisfaction. In previous years this was not so possible because the shots would have been programmed and time constraints posed a problem," Mr Vella explained.

The duo, who represented Malta in five Eurovision Song Contests, were also pleasantly surprised that Morena, although a relative newcomer to the scene, had adapted beautifully.

"She has been an accessible diva and the fans love her as a result. She has also been full of spirit and energy and this has reflected in her performance. I cannot fault her vocal rendition or her performance," Mr Vella said.

Meanwhile, Morena was taking everything in her stride and she yesterday made the most of her first free day by going sightseeing with her husband Marvin, sister and vocal coach Georgina and her extended family, who arrived in Serbia on Monday - just in time for the party Malta organised jointly with Belarus and Bulgaria.

Morena, who was accompanied on stage by her four Swedish dancers, pumped energy into her performance, even though the event was not so well attended.

Unfortunately, the party coincided with the beginning of the second run-through of yesterday's first semi-final and several media and fans were following that event.

However, the Maltese fans who arrived in Serbia on Monday - some 50 in all, with about 30 from Gozo alone - more than made up for it, cheering and waving their national flag.

Morena also gave an unplugged live version of Bob Dylan's hit Knocking on Heavens Door, accompanied by Mr Vella on the guitar, among other songs.

The Belarus contestant, Ruslan Alehno, and Bulgaria's Deep Zone and Balthazar also performed on stage. This is the first time Malta teamed up with Belarus and Bulgaria, since it usually holds a joint Mediterranean party with Greece and Cyprus.

Mr Abela said this was a way of making new friends and in turn getting additional coverage from countries Malta was not usually associated with.