The former Mali coach hopes to use the match to prepare for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations and 2014 Fifa World Cup Brazil qualifiers and is confident that the match will make his team stronger in September.
“It’s another opportunity for me to see how these players can cope with a different pattern of play from some established stars like [Robin] Van Persie, [Lukas] Podolski and the rest,” Keshi said.
The team that will face the Gunners will be comprised wholly of players from the Nigeria Premier League and Keshi is confident that the players will not disappoint him and the nation.
“It’s amazing for me and for them; I believe they will give their best during the encounter,” the coach added.
The national team coach is also eagerly looking forward to Thursday’s final round draws for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations billed for Johannesburg, South Africa.
"We won't run away from any team for the final qualifiers. Any team we are drawn against, we will be fine," said Keshi to mtnfootball.com.
"I was not surprised that Egypt crashed out. That's one thing we need to realise in Nigeria, it's not our birthright to beat the other team. We have to plan. The Egyptians planned for a year and we planned for just a week and you want to win?" he asked.
"I'm not surprised, it's football, there are no longer small teams and so whoever comes our way, we will take seriously."
Your comments on this story...