Frank Schmidt on unbelievable Chelsea tie and how Heidenheim keep on winning in the UEFA Conference League

On 28 November, Heidenheim, hailing from a small town with a population not much larger than the capacity of Chelsea's Stamford Bridge and who were in the fifth tier when Schmidt’s tenure began in 2007, welcome two-time European champions to their 15,000 capacity Voith-Arena.

To talk about a day that will go down in club history as arguably their greatest yet, Schmidt sat down with bundesliga.com to discuss life at the top, how he’s preparing for the visit of an English Premier League giant and what it is that makes his boyhood club so unique.

>>> Follow Heidenheim's Conference League meeting with Chelsea here!

bundesliga.com: Chelsea are coming to Heidenheim for a competitive match. How does that make you feel as someone born and raised in Heidenheim?

Frank Schmidt: “For me, it was a long way off, even if everyone around here since the draw has come to me and said, ‘You’re playing against Chelsea!’. But I say, ‘Yes, but also against five other teams as well’. The fact Chelsea are now coming after we’ve won the first three games is honestly quite hard to believe. But the fact is they’re not coming here for a friendly, we don’t have to pay them. It’s a competitive fixture. Heidenheim and the entire region are really excited.

"It’s yet another highlight for us. We’re looking forward to it and will look to play this game with maximum determination. And we want to make sure we have a chance in this game. We’ll take it all as it comes. It’s the next tough game. But this is something we could only dream about for many years, and now it’s reality. We’ll try to show the best possible side of ourselves.”

Watch: Heidenheim - from the sixth tier to Europe