Tottenham Hotspur’s in-form Gareth Bale has admitted he can’t wait for the Champions League to begin and believes the north Londoners can make it through to the knockout stages.

Spurs qualified for Europe’s elite competition after recording a 6-3 aggregate win over Young Boys and were subsequently drawn to face holders Inter, Werder Bremen and FC Twente in Friday’s draw.

Yet the Welshman does not fear the daunting looking group, and believes the club can make White Hart Lane an intimidating place to visit.

“We are all looking forward to playing against these big teams and testing ourselves,” he told the Guardian.

“It’s a very exciting time. But there’s no reason why we can’t progress into the knockout round.

“We’ve got good players and a good manager, and the home crowd get behind us 100 per cent.

“White Hart Lane has become a little fortress for us. We’re not in the competition just to make up the numbers. We want to make a mark on it.”

The 21-year-old was integral for Spurs at the end of last season and has also begun the new campaign with a bang and he puts it down to having an injury-free run in the team.

“It was frustrating being injured and not playing; any footballer will tell you that. It was just about being injury free and getting a run in the team. [I thought] if I keep playing then I will start performing and my confidence will go up,” he added.

“I definitely needed to toughen up but that just comes with growing up. I’m still quite young.

“This has been the first time you’ve really seen me as a player, playing all of the time. It’s being able to show what I can do. I was given my chance and I’d like to say I took it.”