Champions League Underdogs: Clubs That Could Surprise Bettors This Season

Champions League football is set to get underway with yet another exciting season, as Matchday 1 starts from September 16. Paris Saint-Germain shocked fans by capturing their first UCL title as they ran riot over Inter Milan in the 2024-25 final, beating them 5-0. Whether a new team pulls off a similar surprise this time around remains to be seen.

Nevertheless, that is the magic of the UEFA Champions League, as it gives new teams from different countries the opportunity to face other European giants to build their own legacy.

While the likes of Liverpool, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Manchester City, and Real Madrid are familiar teams in the competition, new entrants like Pafos and Bodø/Glimt will be eager to leave a mark.

As we gear up for this Champions League season, it's a great time for fans and bettors to take a closer look at underdog teams that could deliver unexpected value. 

For those looking to go beyond gut feelings and rely on stats, data-driven football predictions for African bettors can offer an edge — especially when evaluating lesser-known clubs. Platforms like Eagle Predict use analytics to provide deeper insights into team performance, helping users make smarter, more confident picks.

Villarreal

Managed by Marcelino Garcia Toral, Villarreal head into their sixth UEFA Champions League, after finishing 5th in La Liga in the 2024-25 season. Ayoze Perez, who had transferred from Betis, emerged as their top goal-scorer with 19 goals in 30 matches. Georgian national Georges Mikautadze is another talent to look forward to, who joined the Spanish club only on September 1 after representing Lyon and scoring 12 goals in their campaign.

On the downside, the club is dealing with injuries to senior players. However, if young talents such as Rafael Marin, Alberto Moleiro, Tajon Buchanan, etc., manage to fill the void, they could help rewrite the club’s history.

Villarreal will face Tottenham Hotspur on Matchday 1.

Olympiacos

No team in the UEFA Champions League this season can afford to overlook Olympiacos. They became the first Greek team to win any European silverware when they beat Fiorentina and won the UEFA Conference League in May 2024. With Jose Luis Mendilibar at the helm, the club has managed to find an identity.

Ayoub El Kaabi is their primary striker, having scored 36 goals in 62 appearances for Olympiacos. Other players to watch out for are Santiago Hezze, Rodinei, and Konstantinos Tzolakis.

Olympiacos qualified for the UCL after finishing 1st in the 2024-25 Super League Greece. They will face Pafos in their opening game on September 17.

Pafos

Pafos are a first time entrant in the UEFA Champions League and a team from Cyprus. They were part of the play-offs, wherein they knocked out Serbia’s Red Star Belgrade across two legs, winning by a 3-2 aggregate. Being a newbie in the league, they come with limited budget, lack of experience, and squad depth.

Pafos played in the 2024-25 UEFA Conference League, where they finished 12th after qualifying via playoffs. They put on an impressive show in the qualifying rounds, winning by big margins, exhibiting their ability to score goals. David Luiz, who is a former Chelsea and Arsenal player, is their star attraction.

Pafos has one of the most interesting draws, facing the likes of Monaco, Slavia Praha, and Qarabag, until they come across European giants like PSG and Bayern Munich. Their opening match is against Olympiacos.

Bodø/Glimt

Bodø/Glimt is the first Norwegian team since 2007-08 to compete in the UEFA Champions League. Like Pafos, it went through the qualifying process by competing in the play-offs, where it won by an impressive 6-2 margin against Sturm Graz across two legs.

The team is locally renowned for playing attacking football by using high-pressing, and has previously beaten bigger European sides like Roma (6-1) in 2021 in the UEFA Conference League. Unfortunately, it has tougher opponents in Manchester City, Borussia Dortmund, and Juventus, but it can steal points.

Cold and windy conditions at home could come to the aid of Bodø/Glimt against Tottenham, Juventus, Manchester City, and Monaco, favouring it to cause an upset or two.

Qarabag

Qarabag are one of the underdog teams expected to go a decent distance in the UEFA Champions League owing to their draw. On their journey, they face giants like Liverpool, Chelsea, and Napoli, but also Copenhagen and Benfica, where they can shine.

Thanks to their compact 4-2-3-1 set up, they do not concede many goals and consider Tofiq Bahramov Stadium in Baku their fortress. Having a small squad and long travelling distances could be seen as hurdles.

Qarabag open their UCL campaign against Benfica in an away game on September 16.

Tottenham Hotspurs

The Spurs enter UEFA Champions League on the back of their Europa League win despite finishing their Premier League in the 17th position in 2024-25. Their newly appointed manager Thomas Frank previously did wonders at Brentford and is to recreate the magic with his new team.

Despite being a consistent participant in the English Premier League, Tottenham’s UCL run has never gone deep, except in 2019, when they lost in the final to Liverpool 2-0. They face Villarreal in their opening match on September 16 and will look to Richarlison and Brennan Johnson for goals.