Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker is excited to be facing teammate Robin van Persie in the Euros.

Old rivals Germany and Holland have been drawn in arguably the strongest group at next summer's tournament alongside Portugal and Denmark.

"He said he would be happy to see me next summer!" Mertesacker told Arsenal Player. "That was the first thing he said after the draw.

"This is not a friendly though, it's a tough game and therefore both of us want to go through the group stage.

"It will be very tough to stop Robin. [Sometimes he plays on the right for Holland but] I think his best position is in the front, in the middle. There he can use his unbelievable skills. He is so reliable in scoring goals it is incredible.

"It's a good group, obviously it's one of the best at the Euros. I'm looking forward to playing those big teams and players like Robin."