Melodifestivalen: and our winner is...

It feels unusual that Sweden isn't even close to being the last country selecting their eurovision entry this year, but today is the big day when the international juries and the Swedish televoters will battle it out to see who becomes the Swedish representative in Copenhagen.

And it feels really exciting, I must admit that.

Firstly - the line-up is the best since 2009. There are not just one or two good songs but at least five or six songs that could go to Eurovision and do reasonably well there. Hardly no filler material in the entire final.

Secondly - there is a good chance Sweden will decide not to play safe and go for a quirky and risky choice of the kind that could go terribly wrong just as well as pay off immensely. That mere possibility - that one of the safest players in eurovision history - could go into gambling mood is refreshing enough to fill my stomach with happy colourful butterflies.

Abba was a risky choice. So was Lasse Holm and Monica Törnell in 1986. And that was pretty much every risk Sweden took since the contest turned to colour.

I already reviewed and ranked all the songs earlier, so here I will gamble a bit as well and predict the final placing instead.

1. Anton Ewald - Natural

Last year, I found his entry silly, repetitive and annoying and I still insist this new one is better but less instant. The boy dances gently through his choreography but trips over a couple of his notes while singing instead.

Place: 4

2. Ellen Benediktsson - Songbird

One of the best vocals of the evening and this chorus is still pretty and captivating, but ultimately most people - not all - will prefer more exciting entries once it is time to vote. Ellen seems to have an excellent future ahead of her and would probably just be better off not winning tonight. Which she won't.

Place: 6

3. Alcazar - Blame It On The Disco

Alcazar should probably blame it on the jury instead - unless half the jurors are eurovision fans who love this trio for everything they did in the past, they are not likely to sprinkle any larger sums over this disco tribute. There will be love from the televoting, but surely not enough to win.

Place: 5

4. Oscar Zia - Yes We Can

More often than not the song in last place isn't the worst one, it just ends there because it isn't anyone's favourite and there are not enough points to keep it floating. My guess is that is Oscar's fate tonight. Not because he is bad but because he is nobody's top choice.

Place: 10

5. Linus Svenning - Bröder

I still don't feel anywhere near as touched by this song as I probably should, yet I'm aware many people do. Could go anywhere when the phone lines open, but I doubt the juries will be all too enthusiastic about it.

Place: 7

6. Helena Paparizou - Survivor

In almost every country in Europe this would be a red hot favourite to win, but Helena doesn't entirely click with the Swedish audience. She isn't modest enough and takes up a bit too much space with her huge personality. She could very well be the jury winner but is likely to fall back quite a bit in the televote.

Place: 3

7. Yohio - To The End

Waiting for a star to fall. An OK but anonymous song paired with a decision to tone down his spectacular image from last year leaves Yohio with a clear lack of a buzz surrounding him this time. And if the juries don't vote for him, he can only rely on his hardcore fans. And how many of them are really left out there?

Place: 9

8. Sanna Nielsen - Undo

A long time it looked like nobody could snatch the victory away from her this time, but my guess is that Sanna will be left in second place again. She has a fine song and sings like the goddess she is, but in the end the whole package is probably a bit too expected to be our winner.

Place: 2

9. Panetoz - Efter solsken

You can win in various ways. Getting to the final has changed the entire map for this happy bunch and instead of being a one-hit-wonder curiosity their album looks set to sell rather well. Panetoz are definitely one of the winners even if their final score is unlikely to be particularly high tonight.

Place: 8

10. Ace Wilder - Busy Doing Nothing

The first time I heard the full version of Busy Doing Nothing it was love at first sight. I'm not sure about the last time this happened, but it seems more people than me had the same sensation. The underdog has grown into a firm favourite and a very likely winner and - if so - the most musically daring entry Sweden sent to the ESC since Abba in 1974. A good way to celebrate that it's been 40 years since Brighton. My winner.

Place: 1

You never know who is on the jury and it is hard to predict what they will go for. My guess is that the juries will have Helena in their top spot - but perhaps not by a very large margin - and that the televote will put Sanna in second place and make Ace a clear winner.

Would Ace stand a chance in Copenhagen? Would they have to change the number and add more backing singers? I have no idea. It feels like it is not important at this stage. 

Give me Sanna, Helena, Anton, Alcazar or even Panetoz as winners and I will be fine with that. But if Ace wins, me and my colourful butterflies will go into a happy spin.