The 25-year-old right-back was a surprise inclusion in Luis Aragones' 23-man squad, having played just 15 minutes of international football for the senior team.

After meeting up with the squad on Monday, Arbeloa is relishing the experience and believes his team must think of themselves as potential champions.

"I'm very happy to be here, I'm really excited and I'm determined to do well," he told Spanish Eurosport. "I want to fully enjoy this experience and go far in the tournament.

"It's important to think that we have to win, although we haven't won much in Spain.

"That's the right mentality. We know that we have to go bit by bit but the objective is to win Euro 2008."

Should Arbeloa make an appearance at the finals, it will be only his second cap after he made his debut in the 1-0 friendly win over Italy in March as a 75th-minute substitute.