Of the team who lifted the trophy in Madrid in May, only Samuel Eto'o, Wesley Sneijder, Javier Zanetti, Lucio and Goran Pandev are injury-free for a game Inter want to win to secure their passage to the last 16 and ease the pressure on Benitez.
Sunday's 2-1 loss at Chievo left the treble winners sixth in Serie A and media reports said the Spaniard could be sacked just six months into the job if Inter lose at the San Siro on Wednesday and leave qualification hope out of their hands.
The injuries, which Benitez has denied are because of his training regime compared to ex-boss Jose Mourinho, have offered the coach some excuses for the poor displays but a catalogue of managers shows Moratti's patience does not last long.
"It is a difficult moment, but we must stay calm, and little by little we will come out of it," captain Javier Zanetti told Inter's TV channel.
"To judge this team, you must first of all judge this group when it is complete. It is not an alibi, but it should be stressed. On Wednesday we absolutely must win, carrying on with our heads held high, as always."
It is difficult to underplay the size of Inter's injury list especially when even Pandev and Sneijder do not look totally fit after their own problems and have recently failed to shine.
The chances of last season's top scorer Diego Milito shrugging off his latest muscle pull in time for Wednesday look unlikely while although Esteban Cambiasso played on Sunday, the Argentina midfielder was clearly not ready.
Inter Milan: 12-Luca Castellazzi; 39-Davide Santon, 6-Lucio, 23-Marco Materazzi, 2-Ivan Cordoba; 4-Javier Zanetti, 10-Wesley Sneijder, 5-Dejan Stankovic; 88-Jonathan Biabiany, 9-Samuel Eto'o, 27-Goran Pandev
