Arsenal will have to play the North London derby in unfamiliar colours because of a kit clash.
The Premier League and PGMOL have told Arsenal they cannot wear their traditional red home kit because there is too much white on the back of the shirt and that will clash with Tottenham. Arsenal, who will now wear black, did ask the Premier League to wear their red shirt - but the request was refused and it has emerged the club were warned in the summer about the potential kit clash.
The kits are ordered well in advance so production was underway well before the issue popped up in the summer and Arsenal decided to press ahead anyway. It will be the first time in recent seasons either team has had to change colours but now Tottenham will have to wear their away kit in the reverse fixture at the Emirates.
Last season saw the first North London derby of the season held at Arsenal's home, with Spurs twice coming from behind to claim a 2-2 draw. The reverse fixture went the way of Mikel Arteta's side, who opened up a 3-0 half-time lead at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium before eventually running out 3-2 winners.
Arsenal will go into the game with a number of players missing. Declan Rice is suspended following his red card in the draw with Brighton, while new signing Mikel Merino has been made to wait for his debut after picking up an injury in his first training session.
Riccardo Calafiori and Martin Odegaard also joined the injury list during the international break. Calafiori was forced off early in Italy's UEFA Nations League victory over France, later leaving the Azzurri's squad entirely.
Club captain Odegaard was injured while playing for Norway against Austria. The midfielder was seen boarding a plane while on crutches, and Arsenal face an anxious wait to learn the extent of his injury.
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“It looked bad in the dressing room too," Norway manager Stale Solbakken said of Odegaard's injury. "He didn't have the nerve to continue. It is not certain that Arteta will call me tonight and praise me."
“He got a small ankle sprain," team doctor Ola Sand said, as reported by Norwegian broadcaster TV2. "We will see, maybe we use ultrasound to look at it. If we are unsure, there will be an MRI tomorrow."
The North London Derby kicks off a challenging run of matches for Arsenal as Arteta's team as they do battle on multiple fronts. It's followed by a Champions League game away to Atalanta, while Premier League games against Manchester City and Leicester City sit either side of an EFL Cup meeting with Bolton and October kicks off with a blockbuster European tie at home to Paris Saint-Germain.