The Iron Stoves are in Vienna for tomorrow's second leg (21:00) and are aiming to reach a first European Semi-Final in club history.
Speaking to the media today, Honkavaara was relishing the prospect of what will be a tough 90 minutes or more ahead.
"It is always exciting with this type of decisive match with a lot at stake. I think we played a good match against Rapid at home, but it will be a different, more difficult type of match away. That means we have to do an even better performance now and above all we need to score goals."
Goal scoring was an issue at 3Arena last Thursday, when the club's top scorer in the competition, Tokmac Nguen, and Daniel Svensson were suspended, which added to a lengthy absentee list that allowed Honkavaara to name just seven substitutes to Rapid's 11.
However, Rapid will also welcome back a first-leg absentee, talented defensive midfielder Mamadou Sangare.
"It is important that we have Tokmac Nguen and Daniel Stensson back. Otherwise, we have no new injuries in the team, but there are often some flaws after such a close match. It is not optimal for us and we will have to evaluate the situation in the team, but hopefully there will be no problems otherwise."
Read the full match preview ahead of the second leg on Flashscore.
As for the match itself, the Finnish coach has called on his side to stick to the game plan, no matter how long it takes to bear fruit, "It is important to be able to maintain patience, depending on how the match develops, and focus on our own game and the strategy we have chosen," he explained.
Both teams contended with local derbies at the weekend, but once again it was only Rapid celebrating. They beat city rivals Austria Vienna 2-0, while Djurgarden's stuttering start to the Allsvenskan campaign continued, with a 2-0 loss to fellow Stockholm side Hammarby.
"It will be another short recharge before the match, where recovery after Sunday's derby has been carried out both physically and mentally.
"We have moved on from that loss and must continue to work hard and do what we believe in. Now a new tough task awaits us and we are fully focused on delivering the best possible performance on Thursday," said the Djurgarden boss.
Finally, Honkavaara noted where his side can have some joy against their Viennese opponents, before re-emphasising his side's need to stick to their plan, "Rapid is a compact team that tried to push us a little higher in the first match, and then dropped down quickly to defend themselves.
"For our part, we have to act faster when we get our chances and exploit their weak points, such as the fact that they leave a lot of space on the other side. We have to take advantage of that, but overall our own game should be enough to win if we do the things we have to," he concluded.