- – Thanks to Johnathan of the Arsenal Shirt Collection for flagging this one
Arsenal begin their Champions League campaign in Bilbao on Wednesday evening and their kit combination may inspire some nostalgic feeling among Gooners.
For the first time, they will be wearing their new change shirt in competitive action – but, as Athletic Club have black shorts and socks, Arsenal will be using grey alternative sets of each rather than the default navy.
The overall look calls to mind the strip the Gunners appeared in when travelled to play Roma in the 2002-03 edition of the competition.
As the home side had a special European home kit with black shorts and socks, Arsenal used white elements from their first-choice kit to make a one-off mashup.
Thierry Henry scored a hat-trick for Arsenal in a 3-1 win that night in Stadio Olimpico – does this mean that we can bank on the new number 14, Viktor Gyökeres?
Perhaps not, but a good result might mean that the outfit is fondly remembered. If nothing else, Arsenal fans will hope for a better outcome than the first outing for this shirt’s antecedent, the 2021-22 third, which was also mashed-up for a game against a side in red and white stripes – Brentford, who won 2-0 on the opening night of that season.
