Football Bet of the Day: Get set for a Royal rumble

Champions won't have things their own way

Bayern Munich v Schalke
Saturday 25 January, 17:30
Live on BT Sport and Betfair Live Video

Our boys Derby County drew an FA Cup blank last night at Northampton Town, drawing 0-0 despite having Wayne Rooney in their side. What a load of Cobblers.

We move on, and find our way to Bavaria. The champions Bayern Munich are up against resurgent Schalke, and I think the Royal Blues can cause them a few problems.

Schalke are in the mix for Champions League qualification, and that's testament to the sterling work done by coach David Wagner. The former Huddersfield boss has united the squad, increased the fun factor by allowing his attacking players to express themselves, and found a style of play that's been effective. Last Friday's 2-0 win over fellow high-flyers Borussia Monchengladbach was thoroughly deserved.

Schalke's away form is particularly good. They have won four of their last seven top-flight games on the road, and they have scored in six of those seven away matches. Benito Raman provides much-needed pace on the counter, while Amine Harit produces the craft and guile.

Bayern thumped Hertha Berlin 4-0 last weekend, but they were quite flat for a lot of that game, and while they look far more convincing under interim coach Hansi Flick than they did under his predecessor Niko Kovac, there are still gaps to exploit. The absence of their best defender Niklas Sule means opposing teams do get a chance to get at Bayern, and the Bavarians have only kept two clean sheets in their last six Bundesliga games.

Schalke are a much more attack-minded team these days, and I think they can ruffle a few feathers here. I'll back Both Teams To Score at 1.855/6.