Juventus against Freiburg, it sounds like a mismatch when the words roll off the tongue. "If you read the name we are up against, Juventus is one of the biggest in Europe," Freiburg goalkeeper Mark Flekken tells Sky Sports. But Freiburg can beat them.
That is the view within the German club that continues to outperform expectations. Juventus, the former champions of Europe, are eighth in Serie A. Freiburg, who have never reached the last 16 of the Europa League before, are fifth in the Bundesliga.
"It is still the wish to get as far as possible," adds Flekken. "It is definitely a game I want to enjoy. It is already something new, something exciting. It is going to be a highlight for the club, for the fans and for a lot of people. This is a great time to play for this club."
For the Dutch goalkeeper who had made only one top-division appearance prior to his 26th birthday, it is easy to see why this might feel so improbable, one of football's happy accidents. But Freiburg's rise is no accident, it is organic success built on careful planning.
"Consistency," Flekken replies when asked to explain it. "The club is consistent at every level. There have been tough times, fighting relegation, but it is one big puzzle. Finally, the pieces are coming together. We are benefiting from the years of work others started."
Christian Streich, Freiburg's famous head coach, started in the role in 2011 but he began coaching the U19 side in 1995. Sporting director Jochen Saier has been there almost as long. When the club moved to a new stadium last season, this continuity of personnel helped.
"The older stadium was smaller but had a very good atmosphere," Saier tells Sky Sports. "It was important for us, the team, the fans, to transport that feeling. The stadium is new but the club is the same and the fans are the same so the identity remains the same.
"Of course, the new stadium helps with revenue. It means we are not so dependent on relying on a transfer sale each summer. I think we have done quite well in the past 10 or 20 years, balancing the finances with the team building and the transfer market.
"The other key is that the team are together. Character is more important than the one or two per cent difference in talent because what is talent? There are lots of good players. We look at how the locker room works, how they behave if they are not playing."
Flekken confirms that this was a factor when he joined in 2018.
"When I got scouted by the club, in my first talks they put a very big value on character. They really search for those people who will fit in the group. It is one close team. It is not only talent. It is also hard work. Combine that with talent and you can reach the sky."
Asked if there was ever a moment when he thought it might not happen for him, Flekken replies: "Of course!" He was in the third tier with Duisburg in 2017. His only international headlines had come when he let in a goal while busy swigging from his water bottle.
Nobody is laughing now.
"After my first big injury in 2014, a major knee injury, I had to step back from the second division to the third division to get another club and try to breathe new life into my career. It was the right choice to make. After that point, it just got better year on year.
"But when I finally got the No 1 position at Freiburg I got my second big injury, my elbow. The first two weeks after that injury were very hard. You ask yourself whether your own body is made for his level of competition. But it has turned out quite well.
"I am not recommending any other player do it like me but it has all helped me to become the person I am today on and off the pitch so I appreciate it a lot. It helped me mature very quickly and I have just learned to have as much fun as possible on the pitch."
The rewards keep coming. Now a Netherlands international, Flekken captained Freiburg in their recent game against Bayer Leverkusen, chosen by his team-mates. There were numerous candidates. Three of the senior players are in their second spells with the club.
It is indicative of the family-club feel. Matthias Ginter, the Germany international, has rediscovered his form since returning from Borussia Monchengladbach. "He just found his true self again here. We helped him with that and he came back to his old level."
For Flekken, whose parents travel 500 kilometres to attend every home game, it has become "like a second home" and much of the credit for creating that atmosphere must go to Streich. "We are one big family and he is the father of the club."
Streich, dubbed 'the philosopher of the Black Forest' by the New York Times, has a reputation in Germany for speaking intelligently on a variety of subjects. But it is his fiefdom in Freiburg for which he will also be remembered, a job that he has made his own.
"The coach is the coach," says Flekken. "He can be hot-headed, emotional. He really lives the club. It is a way of life for him and he puts that energy into every game, every session, every meeting. During the game, he is in his own world, it is like he is kicking it himself."
In contrast, Flekken tries to bring calm, bringing "peace to the game" as he puts it. "I try to talk a lot. I am the kind of goalkeeper who involves himself in the build-up play. I am there as an extra solution if needed. And I just try to save as many shots as possible."
It is a template that works. Sit deep, pick teams off and score from set-pieces. Freiburg are the only team in the Bundesliga to score the majority of their goals this way. "It is a quality we really live off. We invest a lot of time on corners and free-kicks."
That carried them all the way to the German cup final in May, beaten by RB Leipzig. Five games into the current campaign, Freiburg were top of the Bundesliga and went into the winter break in second place. Now, however, there comes a new challenge.
The hunter has become the hunted.
"The situation has changed for us a little bit over the last year and a half. Before that, we were used to being deep in our half and defending. Now, it is like it has turned around and we have to be the team that does the build-up play and finds the gaps.
"In the first half of the season, that went very well. We won a lot of close games and kept clean sheets often. Now, we are going through a bit of a rough phase at the moment because the opponents are adapting to our playing style."
In a sense, it is a compliment, a reflection of their new status. And nobody at Freiburg was naïve enough to think there would not be obstacles to overcome. "You have to enjoy these moments because in football you know there will be other times," says Saier.
In the meantime, there is a date with Juventus. They will want the ball in their own stadium. Freiburg can embrace the role of underdog again. And Flekken is not the only one dreaming of doing something special in Turin and beyond.
What would a trophy mean to him?
"I would be speechless about it," he says.
"Just because I know where I came from. I came here as a No 2 and had to work to be sat here. We had the chance in the cup final but unfortunately, we did not use that chance. Hopefully, there are some more chances coming up to fulfil our dreams.
"If we can get into the same flow that we had before the World Cup then we can be really confident of achieving something extraordinary this season. We have a lot of hard work ahead. But it would be one hell of a big deal for everyone at the club."