Last chance saloon for Ranieri

Inter coach Claudio Ranieri heads into today’s Champions League last 16 second-leg clash at home to Marseille unable to escape the speculation surrounding his future.

The rumour in Italy for some time has been that he must guide the Nerazzurri into the quarter-finals or he will lose his job.

Even Friday’s last-gasp victory at Chievo is not expected to have eased the pressure on the amiable coach.

His team went into that match without a win in their previous nine matches in all competitions, having lost seven of those and not managed to score in any of their defeats. They had also failed to keep a clean sheet in 10 games.

But late goals from Walter Samuel and Diego Milito gave Ranieri much-needed respite and a crucial boost to team morale ahead of the game against the French club.

However, Inter’s recent run has left them with almost no chance of finishing in the top three and qualifying for next season’s Champions League. They even face an uphill battle to qualify for the Europa League, sitting six points off fifth place.

Their participation in Europe next season may therefore depend on winning the Champions League.

And yet they come up against a team in equal turmoil, as Marseille have lost their last four league games, leaving them in a similar position in Ligue 1.

And Ranieri has no intention of hiding the importance of Friday night’s win.

“Now we will face Marseille with greater confidence and happiness,” he said.

“When things aren’t going well, I say so straight away but I was happy with the team (against Chievo) because they came into it off the back of a terrible month.

“Now the next step is Champions League qualification. We know all too well how important it is for everyone at the club but most of all for those of us who step onto the pitch.”

It will not be easy either to overturn the 1-0 deficit from the first leg, which leaves Inter knowing that any goal conceded will require them to score at least three to progress.

Andre Ayew’s goal deep into injury time was crucial for Marseille and he has been named in the squad despite missing Friday’s 1-0 defeat at Ajaccio due to a nagging shoulder injury.

Top scorer Loic Remy and Mathieu Valbuena both made their returns from injury against Ajaccio, so coach Didier Deschamps has a fully fit squad to choose from tonight.

Meanwhile, there are two things that may give Marseille hope.

One is that in five years as a player with Juventus, Deschamps never lost away to Inter.

The other is Inter’s home form in Europe this year, which has seen them lose two of their three group games at the San Siro.