The Nerazzurri gave Beppe Baresi the perfect 52nd birthday present with a 3-0 victory over Cagliari. Inter's assistant coach now wants three more points from the midweek trip to Parma.

"We will have to be careful because Parma have been through a difficult patch and they will want to win points at all costs; we are prepared for a hard match," said Baresi, who performed José Mourinho's press conference duties as a belated present.

"A victory tomorrow would be a nice victory, but there are still fifteen games until the end of the season. The championship race is not over yet."

Parma haven't won in six Serie A outings and will be without key players Massimo Paci and Christian Panucci at the Tardini, but Baresi insists the Gialloblu have ample cover for their two suspended defenders. "Those who replace these two players will still be capable of weaking the opponents. They have Dellafiore, Lucarelli and Zaccardo - all quality players."

Baresi said Inter will continue to rotate players and, like Mourinho did in Saturday's pre-match chat with the Italian press, revealed four of the starters against Parma tomorrow night. "If we go and analyse the last few games, we can see that there have been one, two or three changes," he said. "Match after match we decide who to play and who to rest, but I can tell you that Julio Cesar, Maicon, Lucio and Zanetti will start the game tomorrow."

Inter have used a host of systems this season, but the result is always the same. "Improvement comes when you get good results independently of the tactical module," explained Baresi. "The great strength of this team is its condition, the quality, but also the simplicity with which it develops its game."

February is an important month for the Nerazzurri, who return to the European stage after upcoming games at Parma, Napoli and at home to Sampdoria. "For now we are thinking about Parma; the game against Chelsea is in three weeks' time. We are concentrated on the first objective, which is Parma," said Baresi.

Baresi, a player in Giovanni Trapattoni's record-breaking Inter, compared his former coach with José Mourinho: "Both had victory as their goal and they both share their success with the staff and the club."