Revealed: Why Real Madrid cannot wear their iconic white kit against Arsenal in the Champions League – despite regularly sporting it during away legs in Europe this season

Real Madrid will not be allowed to wear their famous all-white strip when they take on Arsenal in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday night.

Carlo Ancelotti‘s side, who touched down in London on Monday evening ahead of the huge clash at Emirates, will alternatively sport an all-grey kit against the Gunners, making use of their third strip for the season.

Given the opportunity, Real Madrid would likely have chosen to wear the iconic white shirt as they have done in several away games already this campaign — including their dramatic win on penalties at Atletico Madrid in the last round.

Jude Bellingham and Co also sported white away at Brest in the group stage.

As Arsenal head into Tuesday’s showpiece as the home side, the Gunners have priority over which kit they would like to wear.

Unsurprisingly, Mikel Arteta‘s side have opted to wear their home shirt, which is primarily red with white sleeves and shorts.

The Gunners take on Real Madrid in the first leg of a huge Champions League quarter-final

The reigning Champions League winners will instead wear an all-grey strip against Arsenal

According to UEFA’s rules, a team’s sorts, as well as their shirts, must not clash with their opponents’ colours.

As a result, Real Madrid are unable to wear all-white because the shorts would have clashed with Arsenal’s.

Los Blancos were given the option to wear either their orange away kit, as they did against Manchester City at the Etihad earlier in the competition, or their all-grey strip.

The Gunners head into the crucial clash against Madrid with a hefty 11-point deficit on Liverpool in the Premier League title race, while also being out of the FA Cup.

The Champions League, a competition the club has never won in their history, now presents Arsenal’s best chance of silverware between now and the end of the season.

But Arteta’s men will first have to surpass Real Madrid at the quarter-final stage, who have won the Champions League six times across the last 12 years.

Arsenal fans will be delighted by the return of star man Bukayo Saka, who has made two appearances off the bench since the March international break upon recovering from his long-term hamstring injury.

Real Madrid are unable to wear all-white because the shorts would have clashed with Arsenal’s

Arsenal fans will be delighted by the return of star man Bukayo Saka after his hamstring injury

While Saka is expected to start in what marks a defining match in Arsenal’s season, Arteta will definitely be without crucial first-choice defender Gabriel Magalhaes, who is out for the remainder of the campaign with a hamstring tear.

Gabriel Jesus, Riccardo Calafiori, Takehiro Tomiyasu and Kai Havertz also remain out through injury for the Gunners, while Raheem Sterling is serving a one-match ban. 

Arsenal drew 1-1 with Everton at Goodison Park in their last Premier League game, while Real Madrid come into the tie off the back of a 2-1 defeat against Valencia in LaLiga on Saturday.