Spurs' first European Cup match for almost half a century will be against Swiss side Young Boys following this morning's play-off round draw in Nyon.

The two-leg tie was a dream pairing for Redknapp's side, who avoided much trickier clashes with the likes of Dynamo Kiev, Sampdoria, Auxerre and Braga.

But the Tottenham boss insisted reaching the competition's lucrative group stage was not a foregone conclusion, with Young Boys having stunned Fenerbahce in the previous round.

"We'll be favourites, obviously, but we have to give them the utmost respect," Redknapp told his club's official website, www.tottenhamhotspur.com.

"They beat Fenerbahce in the last round and we watched the first leg on DVD and they could have won four or five; they hammered them at home.

"They then went away and won in Turkey and that's a fantastic result.

"There are no easy games at this level. They also have an astroturf pitch at their stadium and they play well on it, so it will be a tough game for us.

"We'll have to be prepared for it but we've got Manchester City before that in the Premier League (August 14) and that's the first priority.

"We'll get that one out of the way and then it will be into the Champions League and we've got to try and get into the group stages; that would be fantastic for the club."

Redknapp's caution was echoed by club secretary Darren Eales, who nevertheless admitted he was pleased to have avoided a trip to Kiev.

Speaking on Sky Sports News from Nyon, he said: "In that respect, we're going to Switzerland; it's not so far to travel. That's obviously a positive.

"I think the other thing that we'll be pleased about is that we're playing at home second leg - that's always an advantage."

Indeed, the first leg will take place in Berne a week on Tuesday, with the return in London the following Wednesday.

Describing the current mood around White Hart Lane, Eales said: "I just joined the club on July 1 and you can imagine the excitement and the buzz around the place.

"We've got a real chance to get into the group stages, a chance for our fans to experience football, perhaps against Real Madrid at the Bernabeu, or Barcelona or the Milans.

"We're keeping our feet on the ground but, obviously, we're really hoping that we can get through."

Eales revealed reaching the group stage was unlikely to result in a larger transfer kitty for Redknapp and refused to comment on speculation linking several big names with moves to Spurs.

He added: "We'll be doing our best to get some transfer activity but we'll just have to wait and see."

Tottenham's last foray in Europe's premier club competition came in the 1961-62 season.

Last term saw them finally fulfil their ambition of breaking into the Barclays Premier League top four, thereby securing a coveted Champions League spot.

Spurs have never played Swiss runners-up Young Boys, who are well into their domestic season, which kicked off on July 17, although they have failed to win any of their opening three games.

Their squad includes an Enfield-born Spurs fan in Scott Sutter, who moved to Switzerland aged 16.

Tottenham's only previous European meeting with Swiss opposition ended in a 9-1 aggregate win over Grasshoppers in the 1973-74 UEFA Cup.

Young Boys sporting director Alain Baumann admitted his side had been handed the toughest possible draw.

"We are happy to play Tottenham," he said.

"For Young Boys, it's a good draw but the hardest.

"For the spectacle, it's the best.

"We beat Fenerbahce but I think Tottenham are more difficult for us.

"We hope to have a little chance and this chance we will need to take.

"Tottenham is a name in the world like Liverpool or Chelsea, so for us it's a big, big game."