Chelsea brings in contact pads to prepare for Arsenal showdown

There's one detail that says more than any stat sheet: at Cobham this week, Chelsea trained with contact pads, the padded bags used in rugby to simulate collisions. No balls, no set plays, just controlled shoving and hitting. When a soccer club brings that kind of gear onto the training pitch, something is clearly on its mind.

The reason becomes obvious with a quick glance at the schedule. Arsenal and Chelsea meet this Sunday, September 6, at the Emirates Stadium, in matchday three of the 2026/2027 Premier League season, and recent history weighs heavily on Xabi Alonso's side: Chelsea hasn't beaten Arsenal in nine matches. Nine. That's a long enough streak to keep in mind while planning the week's training.

Both teams arrive unbeaten, having won all of their opening two matches, so this clash also doubles as an early snapshot of who can push into the top spots. But Chelsea comes in with a warning light on: they've conceded five goals in just two matches, a number that hasn't gone unnoticed at Cobham. That's likely why the club decided to bring real physical contact into training, something rarely seen in a typical week of soccer preparation.

A nod to Arsenal's set-piece threat

The other factor behind Xabi Alonso's approach has a name attached to it: last season, Arsenal was the most effective team on the continent at set pieces, scoring 22 goals from corners, free kicks and long throw-ins. That aerial and man-marking arsenal, no pun intended, is exactly the kind of battle where physical contact becomes decisive, and everything suggests Chelsea's coaching staff built this session with that scenario in mind.

Footage from training showed Argentine Valentin Barco and Spaniard Pep Chavarria holding the pads while their teammates crashed into them, in a session reportedly designed to get the players ready for the physical test ahead.

Whether the approach pays off on Sunday remains to be seen. What's clear is that Chelsea isn't taking this matchup lightly: they know they're facing a rival that has had the upper hand in recent meetings, and one that also handles with ease exactly the area Chelsea has struggled to defend so far this season.

The match kicks off this Sunday, September 6, at 12:30 PM (Argentina, Uruguay), 11:30 AM (Chile) and 10:30 AM (Ecuador, Colombia, Peru), airing live on Disney+'s Premium Plan for South America.