Benitez wants improvement against Inter

By Jeremy Butler

LIVERPOOL (Reuters) - Liverpool manager Rafael Benitez said he is hoping for Champions League salvation against Inter Milan on Tuesday after his side's shock FA Cup defeat at the weekend.

Liverpool lost 2-1 at home to the Championship (second division) side on Saturday, piling further pressure on Benitez who has come under fire for the Anfield club's poor league form.

Benitez is refusing to discuss his future or look further than the Champions League first knockout round, first-leg clash at Anfield against the Series A leaders.

"We must think about winning the next game and nothing more," he told a news conference on Monday.

"Everyone knows we must be really disappointed and we want to try and improve by playing well in the next game.

"We must win because we have to change what is happening and the way to do that is by winning games."

Liverpool have slipped to fifth place in the Premier League after just one win from their last seven games with English media speculating Benitez will lose his job in the close-season unless he wins the Champions League, a claim the Spaniard refutes.

But Liverpool's lack of success in the league is a cause for concern with the club's finances dictating they must finish in the top four to earn qualification for the lucrative Champions League.