Luis Enrique relishing title fight as Paris St Germain face rare Ligue 1 test

Paris St Germain boss Luis Enrique says his side are enthused by the open title race in Ligue 1.

PSG finished 19 points clear of second-placed Marseille last season in what was a procession to a fourth straight title and 11th in 13 years.

But it is much tighter this time around, with last week’s defeat at Monaco leaving them a point behind Lens in second, with Marseille a further point back and nine points covering the top eight going into this weekend’s fixtures.

PSG play Rennes on Saturday night and the Spaniard is enjoying the fight.

“I think we are a very consistent team, reflecting our mentality,” he said at his press conference on Friday.

“Right now, the league is even more motivating because there are teams like Lens, Rennes, Marseille, Lyon, Strasbourg, Monaco… It’s a source of motivation.

“And when I talk with my players, I feel the same confidence in our strengths and in what we want to achieve in this league.

“There is a team that has picked up one more point than us, so we deservedly sit in second place. It’s a source of motivation for us as a team.

“For the moment, we have four points less than we had at this stage last season. But when you see the injuries we have in the squad, I think we are doing really well in the league.

“There are also lots of other teams who are playing very well and are having good campaigns so far.

“It’s over the course of the season that we will see who will be the best team, and for the moment, it’s Lens.”