Why do Premier League sides wear their away kits even if shirts don't clash with the home team? Five games this weekend have curious strip choices

• West Ham vs Brighton, Chelsea vs Watford, Swansea vs Leicester, Everton vs Arsenal and Manchester City vs Burnley all have odd kit choices 
• There are rules governing which side should wear what attire for a match 
• Very few know that shorts and socks cannot clash for assistant referee's benefit
• Sportsmail has taken a look at why each match has a certain strip choice 

There is always controversy when the Premier League announce which kits each team will be wearing on a weekend.

Most fans want to see their team donning their home kits as much as possible - after all, the club colours are part of the identity for every team around the country.

This weekend there are five games - West Ham vs Brighton, Chelsea vs Watford, Swansea vs Leicester, Everton vs Arsenal and Manchester City vs Burnley - where questions could be asked over why the away team are wearing alternative strips. 

But it is often more nuanced than just making sure a visiting team's home shirt does not clash with the jersey of the hosts.

The Premier League rules state: 'When playing in league matches the players of each participating club shall wear strip which is of a sufficient contrast that match officials, spectators and television viewers will be able to distinguish clearly between the two teams.'

In the handbook there is then clarification over which kits in every match take priority:

• M.22.1. 1st priority: the outfield players of the home club who shall wear their home strip;
• M.22.2. 2nd priority: the outfield players of the visiting club;
• M.22.3. 3rd priority: the home club goalkeeper;
• M.22.4. 4th priority: the visiting club goalkeeper.

There is no requirement to wear a kit a minimum number of times, and a ruling stating that clubs should only wear an away or alternative kit a maximum of eight times a season no longer exists. 

Even with these rules, why would - using an example from the weekend - Arsenal wear their black kit when visiting Everton rather than their home?

One of the biggest concerns for match officials that is generally not known by the average spectator is kit clashes between shorts and socks.

When it comes to making a decision over offside, which is one of the harder calls made by officials on an average Premier League weekend, having distinctive shorts and socks makes a big difference.

That is because it's easier to tell that way whether a player is past the last line of defence while on a run.

The same outlook therefore applies to socks and shorts as it does to shirts. It is not simple enough to say that a team with a kit with a red shirt can play against a team with a blue shirt.

So shorts and socks of those home and away kits come into consideration. And as the priority is with the home team for their full strip, they would not be expected to wear alternative shorts, even if it helps the away team wear their home kit.

Sportsmail has also taken a look at this weekend's game to explain why the away team is wearing an alternative strip. 

This weekend's games 

West Ham vs Brighton

While there does not seem to be much of an issue with these kits, West Ham's blue sleeves could be deemed to match Brighton's own blue arm coverings. On the other hand, there is absolutely no clash between Brighton's away strip and West Ham's home.

Chelsea vs Watford

This seems like one of the more ridiculous kit clashes in the top flight this weekend. Chelsea play in blue while Watford wear yellow shirts. What could, however, be an issue is the black shorts the Hornets wear. For an assistant referee that could cause problems for decisions involving offside, and may be why Watford have decided to wear their away kit.  

Swansea vs Leicester

There is absolutely no kit clash issue for Swansea or Leicester - they play all in blue and white respectively. Therefore Leicester have simply decided, for some unknown reason, to wear their away kit.

Everton vs Arsenal

Most fans would assume Arsenal would be fine to wear their home kit in this game, especially as Everton sometimes wear blue shorts as an alternative. Given priority is with the home side, however, it may just be that Everton want to wear their regular strip and Arsenal have therefore chosen to wear their third kit. They would not be able to wear their home shirt with the normal shorts and Everton wear their full home kit.

Manchester City vs Burnley 

This is essentially the same problem as West Ham's game against Brighton but in reverse. Burnley's sleeves would clash with Manchester City's and therefore they may have chosen to wear their away kit to avoid any issues surrounding a potential clash. The socks of the two home kits would also potentially be an issue.