Roberto Mancini returns to the club where he made his name in need of a victory to salvage Inter's season.

Sampdoria host Inter, who extended their winless run to five matches in all competitions when Wolfsburg dumped them out of the UEFA Europa League on Thursday, this weekend.

Defeat in Genoa, where Mancini established himself as the darling of the home support across a decorated 15-year playing stint, would land a damaging blow to Inter's ambitions of returning to continental competition next term.

They head into the match eight points shy of Sampdoria in sixth and on-loan Arsenal forward Lukas Podolski knows there is little remaining margin for error.

"There are still 11 matches to play in Serie A and we'll do our best," he told Inter's official website.

"The team has tried really hard but sadly Wolfsburg played better than we did. Now we're out of Europe but we'll keep working with our heads held high. 

"When you fall you have to get up again. It's not an easy situation but Inter are big club and will rise again."

By contrast, Sinisa Mihajlovic - who played alongside Mancini at Sampdoria and Lazio and under him at the Roman club and Inter - finds his Sampdoria team in the midst of a purple patch.

Second-half goals from Lorenzo De Silvestri and Luis Muriel secured a 2-0 win at off-colour Roma last weekend, a third consecutive league victory that enhanced their own European credentials.

The vibrant attacking trio of Eder, Stefano Okaka and Muriel is sure to relish pitting their wits against a shaky Inter backline, while the wily Samuel Eto'o could inflict further misery on his former club during the twilight of his career.

A win for Sampdoria at the weekend would serve to heighten speculation linking Mihajlovic with the head coach’s job with Inter's city rivals Milan.

Mancini will hope Xherdan Shaqiri is ready to return to the starting XI after a hamstring problem restricted him to the bench in midweek. Marcelo Brozovic is available once more having been cup-tied last time out.

When the two sides met earlier in the season at the San Siro, Inter secured a last-gasp 1-0 win thanks to a Mauro Icardi penalty.