Why are Aston Villa wearing an all-black kit against West Ham in FA Cup clash? | OneFootball

Aston Villa not in usual claret and blue kit for third-round tie

Aston Villa begin their bid to win the FA for the first time since 1957 as they host West Ham in the third round tonight.

Villa are on a seven-match unbeaten run on home soil, with Arsenal and Crystal Palace the only teams to come away from Villa Park with victory this season.

West Ham fans, though, will be hoping their side is buoyed by a change of manager, with Graham Potter announced this week as Julen Lopetegui’s replacement.

The former Chelsea boss knows a cup run would help quickly lift the mood at West Ham and he will be desperate to get off to a strong start.

Why are Aston Villa wearing an all-black kit against West Ham?

Aston Villa are the home side tonight but they will not be wearing their usual claret and blue kit.

Instead they will play in a special strip to mark their 150th anniversary, which will be all-black and have a crest based on the one the club had in 1878.

Players will wear AV150 numbers on the back of their shirts against West Ham with no names.

The club said: “In 1878, Aston Villa became the first team in the UK to put a crest on their playing kit, adopting the Scottish lion rampant.

“The motifs were sourced from Scotland by William McGregor himself and in honour of our Club’s pioneering spirit, a crest inspired by the one that featured on those kits has been authentically redrawn from the earliest sources we have.

“While paying homage to our beloved club’s history, the shirts will also feature adidas' Aeroready technology as well as the famous three stripes in all black.

“Principal partners Betano and Trade Nation have both kindly donated their branding space back to the club for the fixture, allowing us to create this historic look.”