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Why Bukayo Saka is wearing a special Arsenal FC kit against Brighton in the Premier League
Mikel Arteta will know the importance of a win over Albion, particularly with Man City kicking off at home to Nottingham Forest at the same time, and has resisted making too many changes from the win over Chelsea at the weekend.
Saka, though, does start and captains the side in the absence of Odegaard and the Arsenal No7 will be wearing a different shirt against Brighton.
Why is Bukayo Saka wearing a special shirt against Brighton?
To mark his 300th first team appearance for Arsenal, Saka has that exact number engraved into the back of his matchday shirt.
Bukayo Saka starts for Arsenal against Brighton
Arsenal FC via Getty Images
An Arsenal statement reads: “Bukayo Saka captains the team in the absence of Martin Odegaard, and makes his 300th first team appearance for us.
“He becomes the 52nd men’s player in our history to reach the milestone, across all competitions, after making his debut as a 17 year old back in November 2018.”
Saka ended his long goal drought in the Premier League by scoring after five minutes in the 2-2 draw with Wolves last month, but failed to net in back-to-back games against Tottenham and Chelsea.