Heidenheim vs Chelsea LIVE!
The Blues are in Germany tonight looking to continue their fine Conference League campaign, taking on a team who could not be more different in stature. While Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca is just in his sixth month at the helm, Heidenheim boss Frank Schmidt has been in the role since 2007, a remarkable 17 years.
In that time, Schmidt has taken the club from the fifth tier of German football, all the way to the Bundesliga and now European competition. Tonight they host the favourites for the competition in Chelsea in a landmark match for the club, days after facing the Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen in domestic action.
Heidenheim have been no pushovers this season, though, and have won all three of their Conference League games to date, against Olimpija Ljubljana, Pafos and earlier this month Scottish side Hearts. Maresca will need to make sure his ‘B’ team avoid a potential banana skin to maintain their own 100 per cent record in the competition. Follow the game LIVE below with our dedicated match blog, featuring expert insight and analysis from Malik Ouzia.
Heidenheim vs Chelsea latest updates
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GOAL! Nkunku breaks the deadlock
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Chelsea denied penalty after VAR check
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Chelsea XI confirmed: Sancho starts, no Felix
Heidenheim 0-1 Chelsea
19:06 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
60 min: It’s now five goals in four Europa Conference League appearances for Christopher Nkunku this season.
Heidenheim 0-1 Chelsea
19:01 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
55 min: Nearly a second for Chelsea as Sancho picks out Guiu but Heidenheim clear their lines.
Double change for the home side as Conteh and Schoppner are on.
GOAL! Heidenheim 0-1 Chelsea | Christopher Nkunku ’51
18:58 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
51 min: Chelsea have the lead and Christopher Nkunku with the goal.
The forward does well to get on the end of Jadon Sancho’s cross and he fires the ball into the net.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:51 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
46 min: Heidenheim straight on the attack as Kaufmann is put through but he fires at Jorgensen.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:50 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Back underway at the Voith-Arena.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:37 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Here is the big moment of the half.
After all, referee Serdar Gozubuku did award Chelsea a penalty after Mykhailo Mudryk went down in the area but the decision was overturned following a VAR check.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:35 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Standard Sport’s Malik Ouzia
HT 0-0. Easily Chelsea’s toughest test of this group stage so far, though to give it a bit of perspective, they’ve still had 10 shots and 64 percent of the ball.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:33 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
HALF-TIME: Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:31 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
44 min: Casadei is shown a yellow card as two minutes of added time is signalled.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:28 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
40 min: Omar Traore is shown a yellow card for clipping Mudryk’s heels.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:26 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Standard Sport’s Malik Ouzia
A bizarre bit of refereeing there. He awarded the penalty but it was almost like he knew immediately it wasn’t one because he barely signalled.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:24 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
38 min: Almost a stunning solo goal from Nkunku as he tip-toes his way into the area and gets a shot away but Kevin Muller is equal to the effort.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:21 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
35 min: Check complete, no penalty. No yellow card for Mudryk either.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:19 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
32 min: Mudryk goes down in the penalty area but instead of winning his side a spot-kick, he is set to be shown a yellow card for simulation.
However, the winger does appear to be in considerable pain and VAR is checking this.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:14 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
27 min: Chelsea are having to withstand a lot of pressure, Jorgensen almost goes from hero to zero as he flaps at a corner but the Blues clear their lines.
Then at the other end Christopher Nkunku is put clean through but he gets too much on the dink and the ball goes over the bar.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:12 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
25 min: Big save from Filip Jorgensen as he stops Paul Wanner’s powerful effort at his near post.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:10 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
24 min: From the resulting corner, the ball eventually falls to Badiashile but his effort is wild and doesn’t test Kevin Muller at all.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:09 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
23 min: Muller does really well to palm Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall’s effort away for a corner.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:07 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
21 min: Leo Scienza does well down Heidenheim’s right-hand side but he can’t pick out a teammate in the box and Jorgensen races off his line to eventually secure the ball.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:04 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Standard Sport’s Malik Ouzia
Chelsea are remarkably deep out of possession. The back-four is very narrow so Mudryk and Sancho are having to go all the way back with the wide players.
They were lined up in a back-six for a minute there.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:03 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
16 min: Another chance for Marc Guiu as the ball fortunately falls to him in the area. He gets decent enough contact on the ball but Muller keeps out the effort with his fee.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
18:01 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
13 min: Heidenheim cut through Chelsea fairly easily and Jorgensen has to make a fine save from Kaufmann to keep the scores level.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
17:58 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Standard Sport’s Malik Ouzia
A similar feel to the early part of this game as Chelsea’s trip to Panathanikos.
The atmosphere was crackling and the home side started pretty well, on the front foot. It fizzled out pretty quickly once Chelsea began to control possession, though. Can they do the same here?
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
17:57 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
10 min: Three chances in quick succession for Marc Guiu, two of which are off target and the other is saved.
Lively start from the Chelsea youngster.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
17:55 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
8 min: Half chance for Chelsea as Renato Veiga pings a long ball over the top and into the path of Marc Guiu.
The youngster can’t get clean contact on the ball and Muller comes to claim it.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
17:54 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
6 min: Chelsea’s first attack sees Dewsbury-Hall combine with Guiu before feeding the ball out to Mudryk whose cross is too close to Muller in the Heidenheim goal.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
17:52 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
5 min: The home fans are in fine voice already as they try to make things as difficult as possible for Chelsea.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
17:49 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
2 min: Kaufmann is inches away from getting on the end of a free-kick. However, Jorgensen watches the ball drop wide of his far post.
Heidenheim 0-0 Chelsea
17:48 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
1 min: Early booking for Benoit Badiashile for a foul. That’s a long time for the central defender to watch his step.
KICK-OFF!
17:46 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
We are underway in this Europa Conference League clash.
Here we go!
17:43 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Players walk through the tunnel and out onto the pitch.
The Europa Conference League anthem will be played, followed by the player handshakes and then kick-off.
Maresca on Sancho return
17:35 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Enzo Maresca has revealed his delight at welcoming Jadon Sancho back into the fold.
The winger makes his first start since October 20 and the Chelsea manager is hopeful of getting a good performance.
“It’s very good news for us, unfortunately he was a little bit ill and he had some problems but now he’s back, he’s fit and hopefully he can help us,” Maresca said.
Not long now!
17:30 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Under 20 minutes to go until kick-off at the Voith-Arena.
Two teams with an 100 per cent winning record in Europe this season, this should be an entertaining game.
Crouch praises Wanner
17:24 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Paul Wanner starts for Heidenheim this evening.
The teenager is on loan from Bayern Munich and Peter Crouch has heard good things about the attacking midfielder – who has been compared to a former Chelsea player.
“This lad here is a hot prospect at the moment, he’s scoring goals, he’s been compared to Kai Havertz at times which will be interesting,” Crouch said on TNT Sports.
Jadon Sancho chance
17:19 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Jadon Sancho was on loan at Borussia Dortmund during the second half of last season, but he missed the game against Heidenheim in February because of illness.
Today, marks his first UEFA competition appearance since starting last season’s Champions League final.
The Chelsea dressing room
17:14 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Behind the scenes at the Voith-Arena, as the Chelsea dressing room is prepared ahead of kick-off.
Big night for Dewsbury-Hall
17:09 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Former Chelsea star Joe Cole has picked out Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall as one to watch tonight as the midfielder has been handed a rare start.
“He’s arguably got the most difficult job at the club to displace Lavia, Enzo and Caicedo.
“Big game for him tonight.”
Heidenheim subs
17:02 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Heidenheim substitutes: Eicher, Feller, Busch, Schoppner, Gimber, Breunig, Fohrenbach, Kerber, Beck, Negele, Conteh, Janes
Heidenheim lineup
16:47 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Heidenheim XI: Muller; Traore, Mainka, Siersleben, Theuerkauf; Dorsch, Maloney; Leo Scienza, Wanner, Honsak; Kaufmann
10 changes
16:43 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
As expected, Enzo Maresca has rung the changes for tonight’s game.
There are 10 in total with Benoit Badiashile the only player to retain his place from the side that started the 2-1 win over Leicester City at the weekend.
This means Joao Felix drops down to the bench with Jadon Sancho coming in for his first start since the loss to Liverpool just over a month ago.
Chelsea XI
16:38 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Chelsea XI: Jorgensen; Disasi, Tosin, Badiashile, Veiga; Casadei, Dewsbury-Hall; Sancho, Nkunku, Mudryk; Guiu
Substitutes: Bergstrom, Sanchez, Colwill, Chukwuemeka, Dyer, Rak-Sakyi, George, Joao Felix, Madueke, Mheuka
Chelsea have arrived
16:33 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Chelsea have arrived at the Voith-Arena ahead of their Europa Conference League clash against Heidenheim.
Chelsea form
16:28 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Chelsea have only suffered one defeat in their last seven outings across all competitions, and of course, they have been very impressive in the Europa Conference League.
Europa Conference League score update
16:23 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
There is one half-time score to bring you in the 3.30pm kick-off as Astana lead Vitoria 1-0.
Today’s fixtures
16:18 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
It’s another busy night of Europa Conference League action, below is a rundown of all the fixtures.
5.45pm kick-offs
Heidenheim vs Chelsea
Cercle Brugge vs Hearts
Dinamo-Minsk vs Copenhagen
Noah vs Víkingur Reykjavík
St. Gallen vs TSC
Borac vs LASK
Molde vs APOEL
Celje vs Jagiellonia Białystok
Panathinaikos vs HJK Helsinki
The New Saints vs Djurgården
8pm kick-offs
Fiorentina vs Pafos
Lugano vs Gent
Mladá Boleslav vs Real Betis
Olimpija Ljubljana vs Larne
Omonoia vs Legia Warszawa
Rapid Wien vs Shamrock Rovers
Pre-match stroll
16:13 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
The Chelsea players took in the scenery earlier in the day ahead of this evening’s Conference League clash.
16:08 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Heidenheim were playing in the fifth-tier of German football as recently at 2007 and tonight they play host to one of European football’s biggest clubs.
Click here to find out more about their remarkable rise.
Reece James injury update
16:03 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Reece James is “getting better day by day” but it remains to be seen how long the defender will be out of action with his latest hamstring injury.
“Yes [he’s had a scan],” Enzo Maresca said of the Chelsea captain. “The only thing we can say is that he is getting better day by day.
“We don’t know how many days he needs. He’s getting better.”
Nkunku exit ruled out
15:58 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Enzo Maresca says there are no plans to sell Christopher Nkunku in January, despite the Frenchman’s lack of Premier League action.
“I spoke to Christo [Nkunku] days ago” the Chelsea boss told reporters. “He didn’t say he wasn’t happy. He would like to play more games, for sure.
“I completely want Christo to stay, there is no idea to allow him to go in January.”
Predicted Chelsea XI
15:53 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Enzo Maresca has tended to use the competition to give playing time to those on the fringes of his Premier League XI.
In fact, Cole Palmer, Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Malo Gusto, Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto, Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Enzo Fernandez and Reece James will not feature.
This means there could be a start for Jadon Sancho.
Click here for how we expect Chelsea to line up against Heidenheim.
Maresca: “We need to be ready”
15:48 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Enzo Maresca has warned his Chelsea side against complacency in their Conference League clash with Heidenheim.
“I enjoy every game in this competition knowing that every club tries to make it their big game,” he said. The issue for us can be that if we are not ready mentally and we underestimate a team, they can hurt us.
“So we need to be ready.”
This week in Europe
15:43 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
It’s been a good week in Europe for the Premier League sides with Liverpool beating Real Madrid and Arsenal putting five past Sporting CP in the Champions League.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa were denied a last-gasp winner against Juventus and Manchester City let a 3-0 lead slip at home to draw with Feyenoord
Today, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United take centre stage hoping to keep the streak going.
Heidenheim team news
15:38 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
In a huge blow for Heidenheim, they will be without top scorer Marvin Pieringer this evening after he picked up an Achilles injury against Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday.
Score prediction
15:33 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Heidenheim conceded five to Bayer Leverkusen over the weekend and they could be in for another tough night as the likes of Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix and Mykhailo Mudryk will be keen to make an impression and
Chelsea to win, 4-1.
Chelsea team news
15:28 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Chelsea will once again rotate, with Enzo Maresca making it clear he will continue to switch between a starting XI for the Premier League and near enough an entirely different lineup for cup competitions.
This means Christopher Nkunku, Joao Felix and Mykhailo Mudryk are all likely to come into the side.
How to watch
15:23 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
TV channel: The game will be broadcast on TNT Sports 1 and TNT Sports Ultimate, with coverage starting at 5pm GMT for a 5.45pm kick-off.
Live stream: Subscribers will be able to watch on a live stream via the Discovery+ app.
LIVE coverage: Follow all the action with Standard Sport’s dedicated match blog!
Good afternoon!
15:18 , Tashan Deniran-Alleyne
Hello and welcome to Standard Sport’s LIVE coverage of Heidenheim vs Chelsea!
It’s an intriguing clash in the Europa Conference League, as both sides go into the game with 100 per cent winning records in the competition thus far and that means something has to give.
We’ll have all the latest updates, build-up and team news ahead of kick-off, which comes at 5.45pm GMT from the Voith-Arena.
