Rice was instrumental in helping Arsenal knock out Real Madrid in the last round of the competition as he fired home two perfectly taken free kicks to secure a place in the semi-finals. The midfielder was named man of the match in both legs and will likely make headlines once again at the Emirates Stadium against the Ligue 1 champions.
Ahead of the game, Raya was quick to praise Rice for his performances and even labeled him as one of the best players in the world in his position.
“He’s got to be top three (midfielders) in the world,” said Raya. “He can do everything from playing as a No6 to an No8, defending or attacking, and of course, he can take free kicks now!
“He’s better this season than he was last year, and he’s still young but he’s definitely made the step to become a top player and a leader.”
Arsenal secured a 2-0 win over PSG earlier in the Champions League group stage but Raya said his side are taking no chances against the side after they knocked out both Liverpool and Aston Villa in the last rounds and look to have improved since the last time these two sides met.
“I watched their match with Villa and it was a hell of a game,” said Raya. “Even if you look at it from where we played them this season, they look like a completely different team now. I think they press really well together and they play the same way from the first minute until the last."