Inter, who have also qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, are having their best winning sequence for nearly a decade.

A win against mid-table outfit Siena would give Roberto Mancini's side a seven-point advantage over second-placed Roma ahead of their home game against Atalanta.

Roma, inspired by the on-form Francesco Totti, have won their last five games with the club skipper scoring a brace in last week's 4-2 away defeat of Sampdoria.

Serie A surprise packages Palermo sit two points behind Roma and six adrift of Inter, but have a good chance of staying in the hunt when they travel to struggling Parma, who have lost their last three games, on Sunday.

Despite Inter's favourable position Mancini will be looking for a more solid defensive performance from his troops after they were saved by the woodwork in last week's 2-1 win over Palermo.

That means changes, and it looks likely that Esteban Cambiasso could replace Santiago Solari in the defensive midfield partnering tough-tackling Frenchman Patrick Vieira.

The other change could see Hernan Crespo coming in alongside Brazilian striker Adriano, who showed the Palermo defence last week that he is close to being back to his best.

Mancini cannot afford however not to play Dejan Stankovic, who has been one of their most consistent performers this season.

Totti, meanwhile, could be the key to Roma's title bid in a season which has been marred by the demotion of Juventus and the points sanctions handed to AC Milan following their involvement in a match-fixing scandal this summer.

His seventh goal of the season in Roma's 4-2 victory at Sampdoria last Sunday was sublime, leaving his coach Luciano Spalletti with no doubts as to who he will play up front as a lone striker.

Totti's form means that Vincenzo Montella and Mirko Vucinic are likely to spend time on the substitutes bench.

Spalletti looks set to make just one change, with Max Tonetto coming in at left-back with Marco Cassetti being dropped to allow Christian Panucci to revert to his favoured right-back position.

AC Milan travel to Cagliari with only one thing on their minds after a run of forgetful results.

After winning their first three matches to wipe out their minus eight-point deficit from the match-fixing scandal, Milan have since floundered.

Only Paolo Maldini's match-winning header in the 1-0 victory over Messina last week has kept the former European champions buoyed having drawn the week before and lost their three previous league matches.

Milan will be slightly odds-on, however Cagliari will be an attractive outside bet.

Cagliari succumbed to only their third defeat of the season away to Empoli last week, but because they have drawn eight times they have been left 11th in the championship.

That shouldn't stop them giving Carlo Ancelotti's men a hard time in Sardinia, although Milan will be looking for a repeat of last year's corresponding fixture when they won 2-0.
Fixtures
(1400 GMT kick-off unless stated)
Saturday
Inter Milan v Siena (1700), Roma v Atalanta (1930)
Sunday
Cagliari v AC Milan, Fiorentina v Lazio, Livorno v Chievo, Messina v Sampdoria, Parma v Palermo, Torino v Empoli, Udinese v Reggina, Ascoli v Catania (1930)