United Arab Emirates captain Khurram Khan said his team had targeted their meeting with Ireland at the Cricket World Cup.
The minnows suffered a four-wicket loss to Zimbabwe in their only game of the tournament so far, while Ireland upset West Indies.
Khan said UAE had set themselves for the clash against Ireland in Brisbane on Wednesday, eyeing a rare win.
"I think it's going to be a very important game, obviously. They'll be targeting us. We've played lots of games against them," he told a media conference on Tuesday.
"For us, as well, from associates, we've played a lot of games and we know the weaknesses as well.
"So I think it's a wonderful opportunity because it's, you know, it's a very important game for us as well. So we're targeting definitely this game."
Ireland's win over West Indies suddenly puts them in a good spot to reach the quarter-finals from Pool B.
Khan said all the pressure was on the Irish, who he believes showcased their weakness in the win in Nelson.
"I think they're batting side, and bowling has been their weakness, given 300 runs [against West Indies]," he said.
"Before this tournament they've played a few games with associates in UAE as well, and they played in Dubai and the practice game here in Australia as well.
"So, obviously they'll be very up as an associate, and they know they have chances because they beat West Indies, so obviously ... the extra pressure will be on them."