Paris Saint Germain vs Nantes - PSG boss Unai Emery welcomes increased Ligue 1 competition

Paris St Germain manager Unai Emery has welcomed a competitive title race this season as the reigning French champions prepare to host Nantes on Saturday.

PSG have dominated Ligue 1 in recent years, having won four consecutive league titles including last season's emphatic triumph which saw them finish 31 points ahead of their closest rival.

But PSG, who currently sit third, face a sterner challenge this term as Nice and Monaco sit above them in the table and Emery, who was appointed this summer, insists his side have a lot of respect for the teams around them.

"Nice and Monaco are working very well," Emery said at a press conference on Friday.

"We have a lot of respect for these two teams. They're our main rivals for the title. But I have faith in my team; we're making progress and Saturday's match is a chance to show that we're improving. Every match is a test.

"There are 10 matches to play before the end of the year, so I will have to make use of my entire squad.

"I still haven't decided who I will field against Nantes, but it's possible that some players who haven't had so much game time so far this season will get a run in the days to come. What interests me is that the players are ready when I call on them."

Alphonse Areola, Layvin Kurzawa and Adrien Rabiot will all miss the clash through injury while Emery revealed that the XI who start on Saturday will not be the same when PSG travel to London to face Arsenal in the Champions League next week.

"For the moment, I'm only thinking about Saturday's match against Nantes, but I certainly won't play the same XI against Arsenal and Nantes," Emery added.

"Right now, all the players are much better prepared than they were two months ago. Competition is a good thing. I'm confident now as I know that all the players will step up when I call on them."

Javier Pastore may feature but is not ready to play a full 90 minutes after returning from international duty with Argentina.

Nantes defender Leo Dubois believes the change of management and loss of Zlatan Ibrahimovic could be the reason for the lack of domination shown by their opponents this season.

"There were a lot of changes in the off-season, starting with the coach," Dubois said at Nantes' preview press conference. "It messes up a lot of things. Zlatan Ibrahimovic could unlock a match all by himself.

"Against teams like this, we will try to defend well and counter if we have the opportunity. We want to get the best possible result. If it has to be through defending for 90 minutes, we will."