Arsenal midfielder Santi Cazorla has hailed his compatriot, New York City FC striker David Villa, as one the best Spanish strikers ever in the history of football.

The pair of Spaniards will come face-to-face this week when the Gunners take on the MLS All-Stars in San Jose on Thursday and Cazorla is expecting a stern test against the former Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Valencia star.

"David is simply one of the best Spanish strikers ever," Cazorla told Arsenal Player.

"He has an amazing ability to score goals. He was born with a real gift and he has always worked hard to keep developing it.

"I admire him hugely as a footballer but I also admire him as a person - we are really good friends. He has helped me in many different ways in my career and I'm delighted he's doing so well in the MLS.

"It will be a really interesting game. There are some great players in the MLS and we are lucky enough to be playing against the best of them. It will be a very special match for both sides. The most important thing is that we perform really well."