Chelsea defender Lucy Bronze says she will be preparing for the Subway Women’s League Cup final against Manchester United in exactly the same way as she does for every other game.
The Blues take on United at Ashton Gate on Sunday afternoon for the first trophy of the season.
“I prepare for every game in exactly the same way,” she told the club’s official website. “I think the only thing with this final is that it’s so different to any other because it’s in March. Every other trophy you play in is at the end of something. It’s a do-or-die, and then that’s it, done.
“This one’s unusual because it’s everyone’s first chance at silverware. Winning a trophy now can just give you an extra boost of confidence going into a tough part of the season.”
Lucy Bronze expects “exciting” final
United sit just above Chelsea in the Women’s Super League – but it was the Blues who were victorious after extra time when the two met in the Women’s FA Cup fifth round last month.
And Bronze suggested that the close victory might make Sunday’s final even more dramatic.
“If anything, I feel like it might make the game a little bit more exciting because you’ve got the previous match for both teams to look at and work on and be like, ‘Right, what can we do better?’
“United have had a really good season. They’ve been strong in all the cup competitions as well. We just edged them last time, but I felt like across the 90 minutes we had enough chances to win the game.
“That result against them will give us confidence, but because the game was so tight, it also gives them a little bit of motivation to be like, ‘Oh, we’re actually not that far away.’ It gives both teams something to build on.”
