Liverpool showdown unsettled Inter, says club president

MILAN (Reuters) - Inter Milan's Champions League decider with Liverpool next week may have distracted them from the domestic job in hand, club president Massimo Moratti said on Monday.

The Serie A leaders have not won in three matches since they lost the first leg of the last-16 tie 2-0 at Anfield on Feb. 19 and they surrendered their unbeaten league record at Napoli on Sunday, going down 1-0.

"Everyone would say no, but perhaps a little bit it did, because the game with Liverpool is seen as a very important engagement," Moratti told reporters when asked if Inter had their minds on Liverpool at Napoli.

"Perhaps the game was approached with different determination. We have to recover the right degree of tension, which we showed in the previous games."

Moratti said, however, that Sunday's defeat, which allowed second-placed AS Roma to narrow Inter's lead to six points by thrashing Parma 4-0 on Saturday, should not be blown out of proportion.

"This defeat is quite normal," he said. "After an unbeaten year, I wouldn't make a drama out of it."

On Monday, Italy's top bookmaker resumed taking bets on the title race having stopped giving odds on the championship two weeks ago when Inter went 11 points clear.

The return leg is not being played until next week because AC Milan are at home against Arsenal at San Siro this week.

The fitness of Cristian Chivu is a concern for Inter, after the Romania defender came off with a shoulder problem at the start the second half on Sunday.