Sydney FC captain Terry McFlynn is well aware of the quality of his Everton counterpart Mikel Arteta.
Ahead of Saturday night's friendly between the two clubs at ANZ Stadium, McFlynn spoke highly of Arteta, who has been with the Merseyside club since 2005.
"Mikel Arteta is world class and I'd have to say very unlucky not to be part of the Spanish squad at the World Cup. He's that good," McFlynn told the Daily Telegraph.
"He's been a stand-out player in the English Premier League. His set pieces, crosses, killer passes, just his all-round game is fantastic.
"I know what David Moyes [Everton manager] thinks of him and I am sure he would have been disappointed as anyone to miss out on the World Cup squad."
McFlynn was excited about again tackling Arteta after previous encounters and also said the match would be a great test for the reigning A-League premiers who have a busy month coming up ahead of the 2010/11 A-League season.
"I was playing for Northern Ireland when he was in Spain's team for the European Championship under-21 qualifiers about eight years ago. They beat us 1-0 in Valencia and 4-0 in Belfast," he added.
"It really is a big occasion for the club being able to draw someone like Everton here to play.
"It's also great preparation for us with the tournament against Glasgow Rangers, Blackburn and AEK Athens not far away.
"We really want to do well against Everton and they have certainly got a lot of class."
