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Former Bayern Munich midfielder Michael Ballack expects Arsenal to struggle against their Champions League opponents in the round of 16. Bayern are looking to qualify for the quarterfinals for a sixth straight season, while Arsenal are aiming to reach the quarterfinals of the competition for the first time since 2009-10. The Gunners meet Bayern again after facing them in the group stage last year and being dumped out at the round-of-16 stage by the Germans in 2012-13 and 2013-14. "Bayern are suited to playing against Arsenal -- that's shown by the results in the past few years," Ballack told SportBild. "Even though they've encountered problems immediately after the winter break, Bayern are clear favourites -- especially as Arsenal are not playing well and lost to Chelsea recently. "Furthermore, Arsenal have always had problems in the past when under pressure to win the big games." The first leg will be played at the Allianz Arena in Munich on Feb. 15, with the return taking place at Emirates Stadium in London on March 7. Ballack believes Bayern are rightly among the favourites to win the Champions League. He said: "I think Bayern can go all the way. They've got a great chance to reach the semifinals, then it depends which of the big clubs like Real Madrid or Barcelona can call on its full potential when it matters." And Ballack, who also played under current Bayern boss Carlo Ancelotti's tutelage during his time in England with Chelsea, said the Bayern boss is not always the mild-mannered Italian portrayed in the media. "When results aren't going his way, Ancelotti can get unpleasant. But Bayern haven't reached that point yet. I believe he fits in well at Bayern and has a good rapport with the players," Ballack said.
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