PARIS -- Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery has hailed Tuesday's Champions League round-of-16 second leg against Real Madrid as a "unique" moment for the club and for French football.
The Ligue 1 leaders trail Real 3-1 from the first leg and will be without Neymar because of injury at Parc des Princes, but Emery still believes that it is a great opportunity for his team.
"It is a unique moment," he said at his prematch news conference on Monday. "Not only for PSG supporters, but for everybody who loves French football.
"It is a great opportunity to play at the Parc with all of our power and to realise this team's full capabilities."
Emery played down Neymar's absence and stated his confidence that Angel Di Maria can fill the void left by the Brazilian.
"When you are missing one player, the door opens for another," he said. "I know that those who come into the starting XI or during the match will arrive in force.
"Angel is ready. He knows the Champions League, and he knows football at the highest level. He will certainly go for it. His fangs will be out."
Emery also called upon the PSG supporters to play their part and passionately roar the players on to victory.
"We are looking for unity with all of the PSG fans," he said. "In Spain, it is often the case, either by yourselves or the opponents.
"I do not see anything different from usual there. We are looking for maximum passion here."
Dani Alves believes that PSG were a bit naive towards the end of the first leg but thinks that a similar approach to the second leg could produce a better overall result.
"In the first leg, we lacked a bit of experience towards the end of the match," he said. "We will go out there with the same intentions, the same desire, and try to play the same sort of game. However, hopefully with a different result."
Alves urged his teammates to seize the moment and the opportunity to create history for PSG by overturning the first-leg deficit.
"If I had to say something, I would say that we must take advantage of this unique moment," he added. "It is something that we might not be presented with again.
"Football history is there to be changed. PSG reached their limits in the past, but now we must overcome them to progress as a club, and as a team.
"Going through is vital -- my main motivation for coming was to cross this barrier, and to change history. We cannot think twice. We need to believe, and we need to get it done."
Alves admitted that Neymar will be missed but urged his teammates to stand up and fight without the iconic No. 10.
"There are two options -- cry about it, or stand up, be counted, and do what we can," the 34-year-old said. "With Neymar, PSG are stronger, but without him, we are still strong because of the other players.
"Of course, it is impossible not to feel the absence of certain players, but I prefer the second option to the first."
Alves believes that beating Real on Tuesday will send a message to the rest of Europe and that is the mentality that he wants to see from the rest of the squad.
"We are going to try to eliminate our opponents and send a message to the rest of Europe," he said. "We must start the match with this mentality."
Alves denied that the strongest attraction to PSG is financial and instead said that moments like this, with the chance to make history, was why he decided to join the club last summer.
"Matches like this one and qualification are what PSG are lacking right now," he said. "Do not think that we are only in Paris to earn a lot of money.
"I came here because I am a competitor. Making history with this club, not the money, is the motivation -- it is about passion. Passion is what drives me."