Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes reckons the Dons have been handed the toughest possible Europa League test after being drawn against Burnley.
The Dons will take on the Clarets at Pittodrie on July 26 before McInnes’ men travel to Turf Moor on August 2.
Sean Dyche’s Burnley are playing in European football for the first time in 51 years after finishing seventh in the English Premier League last season.
McInnes said: “It is as tough a game as we could have probably got.
“When you saw the pot we were going to be involved in, we knew we were in for a tough game regardless of who we got.
“It is a stand-out fixture and you can’t help but be excited by the prospect.
“The players and the supporters will see it as a great opportunity to go and take on a team such as Burnley.
“In an ideal world we would play that level of team further down the line.
“Burnley will be firm favourites to get to the group stages, never mind this tie.
“But it is still a game we will relish and look forward to when it comes around.
“It will be two sell-outs and there will be a lot of coverage leading up to both games.
“It is exciting to be involved in that but, in terms of trying to progress to the group stages, it is as tough a game as we could have got.”
McInnes accepts the odds will be stacked against his side progressing from the qualifier, given the huge gulf in resources between the sides.
The opening rounds of the Europa League have been a step into the unknown for the Dons in recent seasons with games against the likes of Daugava Riga, Macedonian side Shkendija, Fola Esch from Luxembourg and Siroki Brijeg of Bosnia.
But the same level of research won’t be required this time as McInnes already knows what to expect against Burnley.
He added: “Part of the reason for Burnley’s success is that they have had a settled and familiar team.
“We will look at them closely now we know they are going to be an opponent but we are well aware of their strengths and how they play.
“They have done very well in recent seasons and their manager Sean Dyche has done a fantastic job.
“The fact he has taken Burnley into European football out of the toughest league in the world underlines that.
“We are used to playing in Europe a lot more than Burnley but we will still be huge underdogs.
“If any of the other Scottish teams been handed Burnley I probably would have been a bit envious.
“It’s exciting, you don’t get too many Scotland v England club matches these days.
“It’s a real test but that’s what you get in this competition.”