Beckham insists AC Milan can catch Inter

Beckham is currently on loan with the Milan team (GETTY IMAGES)

David Beckham believes he and his AC Milan team-mates can still win the scudetto despite being nine points adrift of Serie A leaders Inter Milan.

The Rossoneri lost ground on their bitter rivals after last weekend's 2-0 defeat in the Milan derby, a result that ended a three-match winning streak for Leonardo's team.

Inter, meanwhile, maintained their unbeaten record at home this season.

"We are disappointed by the result but this can happen in football," said England midfielder Beckham.

"However, nothing is lost because there are still many games left to play.

"We can still believe in winning the scudetto. We just have to put that defeat behind us and focus on returning to winning ways on Sunday."

Milan host Livorno knowing a defeat could see in-form Roma leapfrog them into second in the standings.

Claudio Ranieri's side take on rock-bottom Siena at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday trailing Milan by two points.

Jose Mourinho's Inter make the journey to Parma without suspended duo Wesley Sneijder and Lucio, but bolstered by the return of striker Samuel Eto'o from the African Nations Cup.

Napoli are in fourth place and go into Saturday's game against Genoa riding a 14-match unbeaten run in Serie A, with their last defeat coming back on October 4 when they lost 2-1 at Roma.

Fifth-placed Palermo will be put to the test when they travel to the San Nicola to face a Bari side who have lost just once at home this season.

Juventus will look to stop the rot when they host Lazio on Sunday.

Ciro Ferrara's side have lost five of their last six games in Serie A and slipped to sixth in the standings.

Fortunately for Juve, Lazio also have their share of problems.

The Romans have not won on their travels since a 2-1 victory at Chievo on August 30 and lie just two points clear of the drop zone heading into the clash in Turin.

Fiorentina will be desperate to avoid their third straight defeat when they make the trip to Sardinia to face in-form Cagliari.

The Viola lie ninth in the table, one point behind their next opponents.

A defeat at Catania on Sunday would see Udinese drop into the relegation zone for the first time this season.

The Friuli outfit currently holds the last position of safety but they are only one point clear of Sunday's rivals.

Sampdoria look to build on last weekend's 3-2 win at Udinese when they take on Atalanta in Genoa.

Their triumph in Friuli marked their first win in 2010 for Luigi Del Neri's side.

Chievo and Bologna will battle it out in Verona with both teams looking to pull further away from the relegation zone.