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PSG boss Unai Emery: Angel Di Maria can rely on the club's backing

Paris Saint-Germain coach Unai Emery said he had spoken to Angel Di Maria about his recent struggle for form ahead of Sunday's game against Nice at the Parc des Princes.

Di Maria scored to help the French champions salvage a 2-2 draw at home to Ludogorets Razgrad in the Champions League on Tuesday, only his third goal in 19 appearances this season.

Asked at his prematch news conference whether Di Maria being named in recent Football Leaks revelations had affected him, Emery said the player could "count on the club."

"We have spoken together about his performances and the matches he has played to see if he will be ready for tomorrow," he said.

"As for the rest [the Football Leaks revelations], Angel can count on the club to put him in the best position to play."

PSG's recent patchy form has prompted chairman and CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi to spend more time speaking to the players at the club's Camp des Loges headquarters.

Emery said the Qatari "speaks a lot to everyone -- the staff, the coaches, the players."

He added: "I always think about positives. We are always looking to improve and for the best way to motivate the squad to move forward.

"He came to the training centre, he spoke to us with the aim of instilling a maximum amount of confidence."

But he said PSG were "very motivated" for the game against a Nice side who are second in the table and four points ahead of them.

"It is a great game, for the league, for us, for Nice and for the supporters," he said. "The league is only getting more interesting."

He said Nice's lofty position was "proof of their improvement and their form" under new coach Lucien Favre.

"You can see they are confident," he said. "They are able to be patient, competitive, with good individuals and a nice collective."

Emery said PSG would be almost at full strength, with only Adrien Rabiot and Javier Pastore missing out -- both of which were confirmed in the final 18-man squad.

"We saw the players in training this morning," the 45-year-old said. "Adrien and Javier are not in the squad, they are still recovering. Marco [Verratti] has prepared well with the squad, he is ready."

As well as Rabiot and Pastore, promising young defender Presnel Kimpembe was also left out, along with fellow youth academy graduates Nanitamo Jonathan Ikone, Christopher Nkunku and Lorenzo Callegari.