Chievo - Inter Milan preview - Mancini looking for league upturn

Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini is looking for a vast improvement from his squad before the Christmas break with the Nerazzurri mired in 12th place.

The Nerazzurri travel to Verona to face Chievo on Monday and Mancini, despite his team's unbeaten mark in the Europa League, has low expectations in Serie A.

"It's going to be hard to win anything this year," Mancini told Gazzetta dello Sport. "We are 12th in the Serie A standings and our aim is to return to the high positions of the table.

"But for that to happen we need to improve and do so fast."

Mancini rested his regular players in Thursday's goalless draw with Karabakh in Azerbaijan.

"It was a useful game to allow some players to rest and others that play less to get more playing time," Mancini said. "Now we must focus on the game at Chievo, hoping that things go better for us."

Inter have not won in Serie A since October 29 and followed their 4-2 defeat at Roma with a 2-1 home loss against Udinese on Sunday.

The Nerazzurri are nine points adrift of Genoa, who are third and hold the last Champions League qualifying spot.

Inter's main problems have been at the defensive end.

No side in the top ten in the league has conceded more goals than Inter, who have given away 21 in 14 league games.

Rivals Chievo will not be taking Inter lightly.

"Inter may not be going through a good spell but they are still a strong side," Chievo striker Riccardo Meggiorini said. "Only if we remain concentrated and united can we beat them."

The Flying Donkeys go into the encounter at the Marc' Antonio Bentegodi stadium on the back of Sunday's 2-0 victory at Cagliari, their third win of the campaign.

The outcome in Sardinia extended Chievo's unbeaten run to five games and lifted them to 16th place, two points clear of the drop zone.

Chievo coach Rolando Maran will not have all of his players available, wiith defenders Nicholas Frey and Ervin Zukanovicb both suspended.