Inter Milan coach Roberto Mancini has described his side's chances of qualifying for next season's Champions League as 'unrealistic' after a 1-1 draw with Cesena.
Inter hosted the Italian league strugglers on Sunday, expecting to get back to winning ways following a home defeat to Fiorentina and a hard-fought draw away to Napoli. However, despite Rodrigo Palacio levelling Gregoire Defrel's 30th-minute strike for the visitors, Inter struggled to find the net before settling for a share of the spoils at an unhappy San Siro.
Mancini, who won seven trophies including three consecutive league titles on his first spell at the club, expressed his disappointment. 'If we'd won, we would have closed to within seven points of Napoli with 11 games still to play,' said Mancini. 'But now, finishing in third place is going to be difficult, there's no point in even talking about it. It would be unrealistic.'
Inter are not the only Serie A giants stuck in a rut - city rivals AC Milan and Roma are both in action later, looking to get reacquainted with victory. Stuttering Roma, in second, host Sampdoria, while Milan, 10th, face a tough trip to Fiorentina.
A thrilling battle for the league's European places now looks on the cards, but Inter are reluctantly setting their sights on finishing fourth or fifth to secure a Europa League place. Mancini's men host Wolfsburg in the last 16 of this season's competition on Thursday, looking to overturn a 3-1 first-leg defeat.
Despite Inter's difficulties, Mancini issued a rallying call to fans and his players. 'It's understandable the fans are angry or disappointed, because we're not doing well. But we need them at the stadium on Thursday,' added Mancini. 'We need a special night where we make things happen. Wolfsburg are a good team, it's no surprise they are second in the Bundesliga. But if we put in a great performance, we can get through to the next round.'
