Last season, Benfica were in the hunt for a treble, as they led the Portuguese Primeira Liga with two rounds to go and were set to play Chelsea in the Europa League final and Vitoria Guimaraes in the Taca de Portugal.
But in just over a fortnight, all three of those trophies slipped through the fingers of Jorge Jesus' men, as Porto defeated Benfica 2-1 in their penultimate league game to leapfrog the Lisbon club in the standings, before they lost by the same scoreline to Chelsea and Vitoria.
"The idea that we are cursed comes from the press," the 23-year-old told uefa.com.
"Nobody in the team is worried – we don't believe in any hoodoo and we're not under pressure.
"We will approach the game in a calm manner. I'm not nervous at all and it's just another game to me."
"When I came here I was very young," Rodrigo said.
"I have developed a lot as a player and the coach has played a very important role in that.
"Without a doubt this is the third and best season of my career in terms of goals, quality and confidence. I've been working for the group and we've had a great season – a season of triumphs."
Jesus' team return to Turin for the Europa League final with plenty of confidence after accounting for the northern Italian city's most famous club - Juventus - 2-1 on aggregate in the semi-finals.
"I think neither side will go into the final as favourites - we both have a 50/50 chance of winning," Jesus said.
"You have to be really good to reach a final, and I have a great deal of respect for this Sevilla side, who will compete in the final with us. They have every right to win this competition outright."
