- Paris Saint-Germain host Real Madrid on Tuesday trailing 3-1 from the first leg
- PSG will be without injured Neymar in Champions League last 16 tie
- Unai Emery believes that the club’s supporters have a major part to play
- Dani Alves feels that PSG can still go through without Neymar
Paris St Germain are hoping their Parc des Princes crowd will help them overturn a 3-1 deficit in their Champions League last-16 return leg against Real Madrid as they try to cope without the injured Neymar.
The talismanic Brazilian forward was ruled out of the game on Tuesday after undergoing foot surgery.
However, PSG coach Unai Emery is confident the home fans will play a key role.
Paris Saint-Germain fans could be key to helping their side overcome Real Madrid
PSG go into the game with a 3-1 deficit from the first leg but will be determined to prevail
Unai Emery’s side will have to cope without Neymar, who had surgery on his injured right foot
‘You play a game with your head and your heart. Tomorrow the heart will be the most important thing,’ Emery told a news conference on Monday.
‘And we will be playing with 12 players tomorrow because we will have the backing of the crowd.’
PSG have lost their last five return legs in the Champions League, notably going out in the last 16 last season when they slumped to a 6-1 loss at Barcelona after beating the Spanish side 4-0 in Paris.
PSG defender Dani Alves believes that his team will be able to cope without Neymar
‘Our team, even without Neymar, is able to beat the best Real Madrid team,’ said Emery.
‘With Neymar, PSG is stronger, but we are still strong without him,’ full back Dani Alves said.
‘There are two options: either we sit and cry, or we stand on our feet and fight.’
If they are to knock out the defending champions, PSG will need to be more focused than during the first leg, when they conceded two goals in the last 10 minutes.
‘In the first leg we played better, had the best opportunities. But this time we need to do that for 90 minutes, not just 80,’ Alves said.
PSG are 14 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 and have scored 86 goals in 28 games.
However, they face a considerably difficult task against Real, who are looking to win the Champions League for the third time in succession.
Real may have been inconsistent domestically but, given the quality that they possess, they will still be confident of progressing past PSG.