"You just have to look at their team on paper. They have some great All Blacks," he said.
"They have always had great depth in their squad. It doesn't matter who falls over. They have always aspired to be at the top and for the last 10 years they have been there.
"It is the team we always want to beat and we have done that a few times over the last few years. It is going to be a tough ask but we are going to have a go at them."
King (29) made his first-class debut for Canterbury in 2002 and played for the province until shifting south to Dunedin in 2005.
He made his debut for the Crusaders in 2003 and joined the Highlanders two years later.
It is going to be a busy four weeks for the Highlanders who are also pitted against the Blues, Chiefs and Hurricanes.
"We are just thinking about the Crusaders," he said. "We will worry about the other games later. We have had a few days off and the boys are getting excited now."
The Highlanders have made a superb start and surprised the pundits by winning six of their eight games.
King shifted to Southland in 2008 and was a key member of the successful Ranfurly Shield team last year.
"We made a good start with Southland but then fell off the pace," King said. "We just ran out of steam."
King is happy with the team environment that coach Jamie Joseph has created.
"The whole structure is completely different from what we had in previous years and the players have bought into it," he said.
"We are here to do a job and we get in and do it properly."
It is high tempo training with an emphasis on doing everything with accuracy.
"We don't talk too much. We have come here to train and then we are out. That's what we do in a game and that is what the boys enjoy," he said.
It is a happy mix with the Highlanders this year with the input of Joseph, his assistant coaches, the management team and the players.
"The team gets on well together and everyone is working off the same page," King said.
"If there are any problems, we deal with it then and there."
