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Manchester United will step into uncharted territory on Sunday 15 March when they face Chelsea in the League Cup final, with Fridolina Rolfo determined to help write a new chapter in the club’s history.
Chelsea arrive as three-time winners and current holders of the trophy, while Manchester United are appearing in the final for the first time.
Article continues belowFridolina Rolfo: 'It feels absolutely amazing'
Reaching a final in her first season at the club has only reinforced Rolfo’s belief that this is a team moving in the right direction.
Manchester United beat European champions Arsenal in the semi-final, something unthinkable a few years ago. The togetherness of the Manchester United squad is something Rolfo believes is the foundation of this group being history-makers.
"It feels great,” the 32-year-old said. “We've been having a great season so far and now, reaching a final, it feels absolutely amazing.
“We are super excited because it's these games you want to play, so we're really looking forward to it.
"I would say that the team spirit is something unique and something we bring out with us on the pitch as well. We always work hard for each other, we push ourselves in training and in games, and we want to win together.
“Having such a good team spirit is what makes us more successful. We’re having fun together and we enjoy being together.
“I hope to continue helping the team - whether it’s working hard, scoring goals, getting assists or giving energy to the team. Hopefully we can get a trophy this year.”
Rolfo vs Bronze: former Barcelona teammates battle
There is an added subplot to this final for Rolfo. On the opposition will be former Barcelona teammates Lucy Bronze and Keira Walsh, who she knows inside out.
“Of course it's special to play against them,” she added. “I know those players really well - their skills, what they want to do and how they are as people as well, so it’s really special.
“But you get used to that and when you're on the pitch, you forget about it, that you're old teammates and friends.
“Even if you get into duels, and especially with Lucy [Bronze], because she's a right back and I'm a left winger, so we always tend to play against each other.
“It’s always a good battle and I enjoy it every time."
Can the underdogs topple the champions?
Marc Skinner’s side head into the final as underdogs - a tag shaped largely by their record against Chelsea. United have beaten the Blues just once in 18 meetings, a victory that came in the 2024 FA Cup semi-final to book their place at Wembley. They went on to defeat Tottenham in the final to lift the first major trophy in the club’s history.
The sides met again on the biggest stage last season, with Chelsea running out 3-0 winners in the FA Cup final in the final piece of their domestic treble.
Their most recent encounter came just last month in the FA Cup fifth round. It proved a far tighter contest between two of the competition’s favourites, with Chelsea requiring extra time and a Naomi Girma winner to edge through at Kingsmeadow.
Now, at Ashton Gate in Bristol, United have another opportunity to challenge the holders and shift the narrative on this match up.
“Not being a favourite, I think that's almost the better way to go into a game,” Rolfo added. “I prefer being an underdog than a favourite, because if you're a favourite, you have all the pressure on you.
“I think this is a team that can do better than an underdog - we can perform when we need to. We have had good games against Chelsea so I hope we can continue like that and we will have a chance to win."
Matchday rituals
As the final approaches, Rolfo uses the tool of visualisation to stay focused.
“I'm always trying to visualise,” she said. “I'm just closing my eyes in the locker room, trying to put up some good pictures in my head and hopefully they will happen on the pitch later on.
“That's the only thing I have in terms of a ritual. I'm not one for putting on one sock or anything like that. It's more how I want to be in my mood, have a good feeling and just listen to nice music and be a bit more relaxed before a game."
The images she creates are not of silverware - at least not yet.
“When it's getting closer, I'm absolutely going to be visualising - not lifting the trophy, more like actions, what's happening on the pitch.
“But I think that scares me to go too far in my thoughts, like lifting trophies, so I just like to think of what I can impact on the pitch."
For a club chasing League Cup history, that focus on the controllable may be exactly what Manchester United need.
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