Ira Losco is in high spirits but expecting a tough fight as she prepares to take the stage in Stockholm this evening for the Eurovision final.

“Most of the songs are of a very high calibre, and many of the performers are international, great artists to be competing against,” she told the Times of Malta. “The pressure has been the same from day one. But I try not to put any pressure on myself; I just go out there and give my best performance.

“I feel that I am very prepared for it. We were very lucky to be in the second half of the semi-final, which is usually a good position to be in. It was great to end the show during the semi-final because it leaves a good memory.”

Losco enjoyed a day off following the semi-final on Tuesday, which she spent with family and friends in a park enjoying the unseasonable good weather in Stockholm. She has since returned to the rehearsal process and performed in the dress rehearsal for national juries yesterday evening which, due to changes in the voting system, takes on added significance this year (see box).

Ira Losco is in high spirits but expecting a tough fight. Photo: Mark Zammit Cordina

Walk on Water, the Maltese entry, will be one of the last three songs to be performed in the grand final, which is typically considered a strong advantage. Expectations for Losco’s final result, however, have cooled somewhat in recent weeks. A top five finish would likely be considered a significant success but this could be beyond reach.

The Maltese singer, who finished second with Seventh Wonder in 2002, is currently ranked around seventh with most bookmakers, and her odds of victory lengthened further once the full line-up became known on Thursday.

Russia’s Sergey Lazarev is the overwhelming favourite to win the competition, while Armenia and Ukraine have surged in popularity and are now expected to compete for the title. Also in the mix are France and Australia, which is participating in the Eurovision for the second time this year.

Australia will not, however, host the competition if singer Dami Im, who has been a hit with audiences and critics, emerges victorious; Australia would instead partner with a European broadcaster to hold the 2017 competition in a European country which will be determined later.

The new voting system: what to expect

The famous ‘Douze Points’ voting system will undergo significant changes this year, which organisers say will create “a new level of excitement for hundreds of millions of viewers”.

In previous years, the results of the national juries and televoting were announced as a combined result, with each accounting for 50 per cent of the total.

But from this year, the jury and televoting will be tallied and presented separately – the national presenters will announce only the results of the juries, with the televoting results for each country presented at the end as one combined score, allowing for dramatic turnarounds on the scoreboard.

The new system seeks to prevent the winner of the competition becoming mathematically certain long before the end of voting, and also to boost transparency and ensure that the song which is most popular among the jury will receive 12 points regardless of how the public votes, and vice-versa.