David Raya makes bold Arsenal trophy claim ahead of Real Madrid clash

03/26/2025 03:23 PM

David Raya reckons it is ‘just a matter of time’ until Arsenal get their hands on a trophy, as he hails his ‘incredible’ team.

The Spain international joined the Gunners in the summer of 2023 and is yet to land his first piece of silverware with the club.

While the Premier League is not officially out of their reach this season just yet, a 12 point gap to Liverpool looks very unlikely to be bridged.

With exits from the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, that leaves Mikel Arteta’s men with a lone chance to lift a trophy this season in the Champions League.

They have looked good in reaching the quarter-finals but face an enormous challenge next up as they take on defending champs Real Madrid.

Raya says there is a lot of excitement about taking on the Spanish giants and that, whether it is the Champions League this season or not, a trophy is inevitable.

‘It’s a great, great place to be. It’s a great club and the team is incredible,’ the 29-year-old told Sky Sports of life at Arsenal. ‘I think we are going in the right direction to achieve things together. It’s just a matter of time on when it will happen.

‘Everybody wants to win the Champions League and everybody knows how hard it is, but we are very, very excited.

‘Now we have a big challenge ahead, playing against Real Madrid but this is the type of game that are the ones you really wanted to play when you were young, this is the type of game that everybody wants to play, so very, very excited to see where that goes.’

The goalkeeper is in the mindset that his manager wants from his players, with Arteta saying the Arsenal squad should be excited about their chances of landing the biggest trophy in Europe this season.

‘We have done a lot and probably the most exciting part is coming up right now,’ said Arteta earlier this month.

‘We have been extremely consistent in the competition. We have been very, very good and now we have continue.

‘I have full belief as well that we can compete against any team. It is on those days [about] getting the best out of ourselves and controlling every detail, because when you get to those stages that is what is going to define the moment to go through or not.’

After the international break the Gunners are back in Premier League action at home to Fulham followed by a trip to Everton.

Then comes the first leg at home to Real Madrid in the last eight of the Champions League, with the second leg in Spain the following week.

The bookmakers don’t fancy Arsenal’s chances in the Champions League this season, with the Gunners behind Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich in the betting.

The last time Arsenal made it to the Champions League semi-finals was back in the 2008-09 season, losing out to Manchester United in the final four.