“The opposition players are very high quality,” said the experienced right-back. “If you’re a football player everybody knows them. Of course we know them very well and we have to prepare very well with our analysis.

“We respect them as much as possible but it doesn’t deter us and we have to play against them with courage. That’s going to be very important. We have very good players and coaches as well."

“We’re not going to be deterred by them and we’ll play hard with concentration, with unity. As a member of the defence, we will have to deal with them well with cohesion.”

Al Ahli’s foreign brigade were instrumental in the club’s quarter-final win over Johor Darul Ta’zim, with Kessie and Galeno on target as the Saudi Pro League outfit battled back from going a goal down to win despite Ali Majrashi’s 38th minute sending off.

The title holders reached the last four having also previously seeing off Al Duhail SC in the last 16, when Mahrez’s late free-kick earned Matthias Jaissle’s team a win in extra-time after Toney had seen his penalty saved by Salah Zakaria.

Despite that miss, the English striker stressed he still has the self-belief to remain on spot-kick duties.

“Hopefully my penalties are better than the last one,” he said. “I’m a confident player and I’ll still take them regardless.

“I’ll back myself every opportunity to take one and hopefully the next one can be much better than before. In the game if it’s needed, hopefully I can score.”

Toney has only found the net once so far in the current edition of the AFC Champions League Elite, five short of his total last season as the Jeddah-based outfit won the title but the 30-year-old remains unperturbed.

“My job in the team is to score goals and the structure we have and the players we have makes it a bit easier for myself,” he said.

“It’s a privilege to play with some of the players I’m playing with and the confidence everyone gives me around the team, as well as the coach, gives me the freedom to be myself and score goals.

“That’s what I came to this team to do and help us win games. That’s the main focus for me.”