Upset Champions League Picks: Sorry Spurs & Ajax

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Hooligan Soccer

·30 September 2025

Upset Champions League Picks: Sorry Spurs & Ajax

We look at all the Champions League fixtures for Tuesday, September 30, but highlight some upset picks we think will happen.

Bodø/Glimt vs. Tottenham Hotspur

Tuesday, September 30 @ 3:00pm ETAspmyra Stadion, Bodø/Glimt, Norway

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There are rumors, and possibly a video recording, of a prediction I made that Tottenham Hotspur will win this upcoming fixture by a score of 3 – 0. LIES! Complete and utter mendacity, I tell you. I have done the needed diligence and hereby declare that Bodø/Glimt will be an upset. Why? I’m glad you asked.

Consistency. Spurs are still finding themselves under a new manager. Their performances, while improved, haven’t yet found the truly smooth operation of a well-oiled machine. Bodø/Glimt has. Due to extreme winter conditions (two of their clubs are located above the Arctic Circle), the Norwegian Eliteserien season runs from late March through late November. Bodø/Glimt are in their prime.
History This is a rematch of the two-fixture Europa League playoffs from last season where Tottenham rolled over Bodø 5 – 1 on aggregate. We all know there is nothing more dangerous than an enraged viking. This is the match where they get their revenge.
Form Bodø have scored 26 goals, conceded 8 in their last 8 matches; Spurs have scored 16, conceded 3 in their last 8 matches. Okay, this isn’t compelling evidence. But surely the +10 scored matters more than the -5 conceded?
Trust Just roll with me, folks. Many laughed when I said Al-Hilal would be Manchester City in the Club World Cup.

Marseille vs. Ajax Amsterdam

Tuesday, September 30 @ 3:00pm ETOrange Vélodrome, Marseille, France

Ajax are still one of the Big Three of the Netherlands. They’re also in the Champions League for the first time since 2022/23. But this does NOT mean that they’re back. In the sense of being a feared European powerhouse club. This fixture against Marseille will prove it. Under Roberto de Zerbi, this club sits squarely in third in Ligue 1. They were, quite frankly, robbed in their 2 – 1 loss to Real Madrid because of poor officiating.My colleague Gary Striker has called Marseille “a ragtag bunch of misfits.” I even referred to them as ”dock rats,” though with the utmost respect. There is no rodent more determined and feisty, and in a fight I would take the Marseille dock rat over an Amsterdam canal rat any day.

Atlético Madrid vs. Eintracht Frankfurt

Tuesday, September 30 @ 3:00pm ETRiyadh Air Metropolitano, Madrid, Spain

No upset pick here, but a public service announcement that this will probably be the best match of the Tuesday fixtures. Last week I’d have given Atlético zero chance, given their form. But this week… not so sure. Boosted by two big derby wins in a row, last-minute gasper at Rayo midweek and a decisive crushing of Real on Saturday, there is no doubt Atlético is a team transformed. In my opinion they are the new favorite; particularly as they’re playing at home.

Of course, Frankfurt are currently sitting #1 on the CL table, due to their 5 – 1 demolishing of Galatasaray. They won’t find Atlético to be as easy an opponent.

Other Tuesday Fixtures

Atalanta vs. Club Brugge 12:45pm ET @ New Balance Arena, Bergamo, Italy
Kairat Almaty vs. Real Madrid 12:45pm ET @ Almaty Ortalyk Stadium, Almaty, Kazakhstan
Chelsea vs. Benfica Get the Hooligan Take here
Galatasaray vs. Liverpool 3:00 pm ET @ RAMS Park, Istanbul, Turkey
Internazionale vs. Slavia Prague 3:00 pm ET @ Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, Milano, Italy
Pafos vs. Bayern Munich 3:00 pm ET @ Alphamega Stadium, Kolossi, Cyprus