Arsenal news: Declan Rice identifies dressing room leader as star faces Carabao Cup final axe

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Arsenal are only a number of games from European glory after cruising past Bayer Leverkusen to book their spot in the Champions League quarter-finals. With a place in Europe to defend against Sporting CP and a nine-point gap in the Premier League , Mikel Arteta has his work cut out for him in the coming weeks.

However, all focus will return to another competition as the Gunners gear up for the Carabao Cup final against Manchester City on Sunday afternoon. The two top teams in England will face off at Wembley Stadium this weekend in a battle for the first taste of silverware this season.

City were dumped out of the Champions League on Tuesday by Real Madrid , losing 5-1 on aggregate. The title race rivals will lick their wounds and get ready for a tough fight against Arteta's side - and he is relishing the challenge.

When asked if his team selection reflected Sunday's occasion, the Arsenal boss said: "No, it was related to the game and certain players that needed to come off, basically. Because of the amount of minutes that they have played. Now we can focus on the final.

"Enjoy tonight and prepare, because we have a beautiful final to play on Sunday."

Here, Mirror Football has all the latest coming out of the red side of north London.

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Declan Rice has highlighted the importance of David Raya in the dressing room after his stellar performance in Europe on Tuesday. The midfield maestro was extremely influential against Bayer Leverkusen, winning the man of the match award for his performance.

Instead of enjoying the plaudits, the England international pointed out his goalkeeper as one of Arsenal's main leaders. During an interview with Gunners icon Thierry Henry on CBS Sports, Rice said: "Yeah, he deserves every bit of credit that he's getting.

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"I wish people could come in and see every day how he trains because the intensity that he trains at and the level that he trains at, there's literally no reason why he's not doing what he's doing on the pitch.

"It's incredible. To see him every day, the effort and how he is with the lads, he's turned into a real leader for us and when you've got a 'keeper like that, I think it gives everyone confidence. So, yeah, he's incredible."

Despite Raya's new standing within the Arsenal squad, Kepa Arrizabalaga believes he is beating his team-mate to the starting spot for Sunday's Carabao Cup final against City. The 31-year-old has played back-up shotstopper to the Spaniard this season, but has been in between the sticks for the League Cup ties.

While Raya is in stellar form, Arrizabalaga has been trusted throughout the domestic cup competition and has potentially given Arteta a decision to make. He is confident the Gunners boss will select him after explaining how he would deal with pressure at Wembley.

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The former Chelsea 'keeper said: "The atmosphere at Wembley is so special, everything around the game is special – the build-up and everything. You know you are out there playing for a title, and right now in this moment of football, every title is so difficult to get.

"You know you are one game away from being able to lift a trophy. Obviously, it’s going to be a tough game, a very difficult game, but we’ll go for it. I have played in the League Cup final before, but I have played many finals in my career, I have been lucky in that way."