Arsenal forced into unusual kit change for PSV Champions League showdown

The Gunners will pair their black away shirt with their white home shorts for the first leg of their crunch last 16 tie at the Philips Stadion tonight.

This is because PSV's home kit combination features a red and white shirt with black shorts, meaning at least one part of Arsenal's home or away strip would clash with their opponent's.

This isn't the first time the north Londoners have been forced into this change when playing the Dutch side.

Back in 2022, Mikel Arteta's side had to make a similar switch for their then Europa League game.

In a group stage clash, the Gunners were again forced to pair a black away shirt with bespoke white shorts from Adidas.

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But they will be hoping to avoid any omens from their last European kit change as they ultimately fell to a 2-0 away defeat in this particular clash.

Fortunately for Arsenal, their recent form in the fixture is far more encouraging.

Last season the two sides faced off in the Champions League group stage, with the Gunners claiming four points from their two encounters.

They stormed to a 4-0 home victory, before being held to a 1-1 draw in Eindhoven as they finished top of Group B.

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Similarly to last term, Arteta's side face PSV off the back of securing automatic qualification to the last 16, this time after finishing third in the competition's new-look League Phase.

This means the Gunners will be playing their first European game since January, while their opponents booked their place in the knockout stage via the play-off round.

The Dutch champions recorded an impressive 4-3 aggregate victory over Juventus to set up a clash with the Premier League giants.

And they may well fancy their chances of causing another upset, with Arsenal having failed to score or win either of their last two games.

Last season's runners-up head into Tuesday night's encounter following a 0-0 draw with Nottingham Forest, which was preceded by a 1-0 home defeat to West Ham.

Injuries have all but ended the Gunners' faint title hopes, with the absence of key players Bukayo Saka, Gabriel Martinelli, Gabriel Jesus and Kai Havertz leaving them toothless in front of goal.

With his side now 13 points adrift of league leaders Liverpool, Arteta will feel his side's chances of any joy this term lie in Europe.

And the Spaniard remained optimistic of a strong end to the season as he urged fans to keep believing following the stalemate with Forest.

He said: "Stay with them [the squad]. They're an absolute joy to work with. They feel stretched, they feel like they are giving everything they possibly can.

"The way they behave and the way they want it. So be with them, because that's what we all need right now."

On the clash with PSV, the Gunners boss added: "We are very much looking forward to it. It's a competition we've performed tremendously well in this season.

"We fought hard to get into this position. And now, as we enter the knockout stages, the building starts now."