Arsenal have 'big chance' to outdo PSG in attack, says Raya

David Raya believes Arsenal have more than enough attacking ability to hurt Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. 

Arsenal face the holders at the Puskas Arena in their quest for a first European crown, 20 years on from losing the 2005-06 showpiece to Barcelona. 

Saturday's encounter pits two sides with contrasting styles against each other. Luis Enrique's PSG have scored 44 goals in the competition this season, with only Barcelona's side from 1999-00 (44) managing to net more in a single Champions League campaign. 

Arsenal, meanwhile, hold the best defensive record in this season's Champions League, conceding six goals in 14 matches (0.43 per game). The record for teams with 13+ matches in a single campaign remains 0.31 per game, held by the Gunners (2005-06) and Chelsea (2020-21). The Gunners have scored 23 goals going the other way.

Raya has been key to that defensive solidity, keeping nine clean sheets in the competition this term, though no goalkeeper has ever recorded 10 shutouts in a single Champions League campaign.

However, Arsenal's goalkeeper is confident that his team's attack can propel them to glory, but he did anticipate a busy match for himself at the other end. 

"We know how good they are. Any player can hurt you from anywhere, so I know it's going to be a busy evening," Raya said in an interview with CNN.

"If we do things well, we defend how we know how to defend, and then, with the ball we are the way we want to play.

"I think we have a big chance to hurt them and score a lot more goals than them. That's the message.

"We have to think that we are going to win the Champions League because we’re super convinced of what we're capable of. 

"If we do what we have to do, we have a big chance to win."

But Raya's goalkeeping exploits have not only been limited to the Champions League, with his performances helping Arsenal end their 22-year wait for the Premier League title. 

The Spaniard has kept 28 clean sheets in 50 appearances across all competitions this season, at least five more than any other goalkeeper in Europe's top five leagues (Gianluigi Donnarumma is second with 25). 

Raya's displays have seen him put in the conversation about becoming the first goalkeeper since Lev Yashin in 1963 to win the Ballon d'Or, though he was keen to focus on the team accolades available to him, not the individual ones. 

"Obviously, it's something that you like to hear, and you like to see people talking about that potential," Raya added.

"I would love to be on that list and to be competing with the best in the world. 

"I leave that to the pundits and the people that speak sport. I just want to be the best version of myself every day, and the rest will come along."

Arsenal could become the 25th different club to win the Champions League or European Cup, and the fourth to do so in the same season as becoming champions of England.

Liverpool previously accomplished that feat in both 1976-77 and 1983-84, Manchester United did so in 1998-99 and 2007-08, and Manchester City followed them in 2022-23.

And, having edged out Man City on the domestic front after three campaigns of finishing second, Raya feels Mikel Arteta's team have a new level of self-belief. 

"Incredible feeling, everything has paid off, the way we did this is incredible," Raya continued. 

"It's a relief. It’s a weight off the shoulders, and now we can be a little bit more free in a way. So that will help us to be even better, to be more convinced of what we're capable of.

"It has to be a turning point for the club, for everyone that is involved here. So, why can we not go next season and have the same aim?"