Chelsea vs Man Utd: Will it finally be Manchester United's day in Women's League Cup final?

Manchester United have not enjoyed recent finals against Chelsea.

The Blues swept the domestic trophies last season, including the Women’s FA Cup, defeating United 3-0 at Wembley.

It was the second time in three seasons Chelsea had ruined United's day and hopes of a big prize in the FA Cup, but manager Marc Skinner hopes it will be different when the two teams meet in Sunday's Women's League Cup showpiece (14:15 GMT) at Ashton Gate.

United are full of momentum, having booked their place in the quarter-finals of the Women's Champions League, and they sit second in the WSL, a point and place above Chelsea.

"We don't fear Chelsea - we respect them because you have to," Skinner told BBC Sport. "This is a different Chelsea team and this is a different Manchester United. We're more experienced now and we've got good depth.

"We just have to not get too worried about the opponent and get to that level regardless. Our aim is to try to beat Chelsea.

"We're playing the most incredible team in the history of English football for wins in the WSL. We know the magnitude of it."

Chelsea's dominant record over United extends to the WSL, where they have never lost in 12 meetings, winning 10 of them.

But the gap has been closing.

This season, Chelsea needed an extra-time winner to knock United out of the FA Cup in their fifth-round tie and were held to a 1-1 draw in their WSL meeting in October.

It has been a turbulent time for the Londoners as they have fallen nine points behind WSL leaders Manchester City. Manager Sonia Bompastor has come under pressure and off-field issues - including the departure of much-loved head of women's football Paul Green - have sparked debate and concern.

Suddenly, the 'mentality monsters' appear vulnerable - but can United take advantage?

"I don't want to use this moment of vulnerability to do anything other than pretend we're playing them at their best. Prepare for their best, and you can beat Chelsea," Skinner said.

"We all know they're an incredible team. Nobody's denying that. But if we can get to our best levels in any game, I genuinely believe we can beat any team.

"Whatever form Chelsea are in, I'm going to challenge my team to be ready and focused on winning that game of football.

"Chelsea will do that. They're not bothered about Manchester United, so we won't be worried about them."

Despite United's strong campaign so far, some fans remain unconvinced.

This is the fourth successive season in which they have reached a domestic cup final, but they are yet to mount a genuine WSL title challenge and have lifted just one major trophy, the 2024 FA Cup, in their eight-year professional existence.

So can the club achieve more? Is Skinner getting the best out of his squad? Should United's ambitions be more than just reaching finals?

"When you reach a certain level of experience in finals, you don't want to not be experiencing them year-in, year-out. We also know that [in] the league, the teams behind the top four are investing more than enough to make it an open league," said Skinner.

"The top-tier teams still spend the most and London City Lionesses are not far behind. We have to set our own markers at Manchester United. Whether you love it, or hate it - we've just got to compete. Sometimes we have to find different ways to do it.

"I'm not going to say my job isn't to get us into cup finals and try to win them every year. All I'd ask is that if there's a season where that doesn't happen, you look at the context.

"If you're not doing a good job [as a manager], then we all know what happens. You don't have it any more and we move on."

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