Why are Arsenal wearing black armbands against Nottingham Forest?

The Gunners head to the City Ground on Sunday looking to close the gap on league leaders Manchester City, who remain the only side with a perfect record in the English top flight this term.

The north London side fell to third earlier on in the weekend when Brighton and Hove Albion leapfrogged them with a 5-0 demolition job of fierce rivals Crystal Palace at the Amex Stadium.

Mikel Arteta’s men, meanwhile, head to out-of-form Nottingham Forest, who are coming off the back of a 3-1 defeat to Oliver Glasner’s former side Palace last time out.

Both sides will sport black armbands on Trentside on Sunday afternoon in the memory of late Forest fan James Kerry, who tragically lost his battle with cancer this month.

Arsenal confirmed their decision to wear the armbands in a social media post.

“We’ll wear black armbands this afternoon, as we join our hosts in remembering nine-year-old Nottingham Forest supporter, James Kerry, who passed away earlier this month following a brave battle with cancer. Rest in peace, James,” the caption read.

The Premier League champions are looking to continue their momentum after the international break, with a 2-1 win over Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium getting them back into the swing of club football after a three-week hiatus.

Next up is a Champions League clash with Vincent Kompany’s Bayern Munich to follow on from the 3-0 win over Lille in midweek.