Manchester United will be the "underdogs" when they face unbeaten Women's Super League (WSL) winners Chelsea in the FA Cup final on Sunday, but still have confidence they can defend their title.
Chelsea went the whole 22-game WSL season without losing a game and also won the League Cup, so are chasing a domestic treble. Meanwhile, United finished third in the table after losing 4-3 to Arsenal on the final day of the season, but their recent record in the FA Cup is exceptional and this is the third year in a row that they have reached the final.
The 2022-23 event was the first time United's women had featured at Wembley, and though they lost 1-0 to Emma Hayes' Chelsea, Marc Skinner's side beat the Blues in the semifinals last season before thrashing Tottenham Hotspur 4-0 to lift their first-ever trophy.
It is a record that gives them hope when they take on Sonia Bompastor's new-look Chelsea this weekend.
"If this was our first cup final then it's harder to believe [we could win] for this game," United midfielder Lisa Naalsund told ESPN. "But when we have been there twice already, and also played Chelsea one time earlier [in 2023], it's way easier to imagine how it will be.
"I feel like we should go into this final with a lot of confidence. We are underdogs, and that's a good state to be in, but I feel like we should be confident enough to go for the win.
"I think it's good that we have experienced both ends of it [the final]; we have lost one and won one. I feel like winning last year has given us a good feeling from that pitch and it will help to remind us how it was last year. I feel like that's going to give us a little extra drive."
United's defensive record in the WSL -- they kept the most clean sheets (13) and conceded only 16 goals all season -- has been their secret weapon and Naalsund is aware how important it will be to stop Chelsea's attacking from working.
"I feel like that has been our thing," she said. "Our defence has been so solid and we haven't conceded a lot of goals. It's very important that midfielders defend too, otherwise Chelsea will punish us. Last year we conceded a lot more silly goals than we do now. We're more of a team; the bench players, starters and everyone are on the same page and know what we're doing. We're a very united team."
Chelsea got the better over United with two 1-0 wins in the WSL this season and, though the Norway midfielder missed a key chunk of the season after suffering a foot injury and may not start, she is confident that her teammates will know what to do to nullify their attacking threat.
"Chelsea are a very good team, but I feel like it's easier for us to learn and fix things because we have experience of playing them," she added. "We need to score the chances we have and be ruthless when we create chances, because we won't get many against a team like them."