Roberto Mancini wants to see fight from Inter Milan

Inter led the Serie A table for a good chunk of the autumn, only to be deposed by free-scoring Napoli, who have since been usurped by Juventus.

The Nerazzurri took their unseating badly and have won only two games this year. Last weekend's defeat at Fiorentina saw them slip to fifth, where they are now 12 points behind leaders Juve and four shy of La Viola in third.

Mancini must next pit his under-performing players against the club where he made his name as a prolific deep-lying forward, Sampdoria.

He emerged from an enforced training camp to preview the Samp clash on Friday afternoon, saying: "It was the right thing to do to try and reverse this poor run of form. Everybody understood that and accepted it. We want to get back a sense of calmness and awareness.

"As for third spot, nothing is lost. Football is like that, sometimes things can happen that you don't expect. You can slip into a negative cycle where there isn't any particular reason for it.

"We lost some games that we didn't deserve to, but now we need to do well and recover those dropped points because there is still time. Everything can change for the better in a moment."

Italy striker Eder will line up against his former employers for the first time having swapped Samp for Inter in the winter transfer window. He had scored 12 goals for the Blucerchiati this term before moving but is yet to notch for his new side.

Mancini is not worried, however.

"Eder might not have scored yet, but he's been an important player for us," he added. "He works well for the team and is a serious guy. I think Inter landed a coup in January."

Juve visit Bologna on Friday night so Napoli will know whether or not they have an opportunity to reclaim top spot by the time they host AC Milan on Monday.

Substitute Simone Zaza's last-gasp goal in Turin settled a hotly-anticipated Scudetto showdown, lifting Juve one point clear of their southern rivals in the race.

Roma are on the rise once again after registering four straight victories under returning head coach Luciano Spalletti and the Giallorossi could potentially reach the top three by beating struggling Palermo at the Stadio Olimpico. Fiorentina, who travel to Atalanta, can keep them at bay with a positive result.

Lazio secured a confidence-boosting Europa League draw at Galatasaray on Thursday and can continue their domestic improvement on a local trip to relegation-threatened Frosinone.

While the Stadio Matusa outfit are three points behind Genoa and safety, fellow promoted club Carpi are in deep trouble and will hope to snap a three-game losing run when they head to Torino.

Elsewhere, basement boys Hellas Verona entertain Chievo, Genoa tackle Udinese at the Marassi and Sassuolo do battle with Empoli in Reggio Emilia.