Chievo coach Domenico Di Carlo believes his side will be in for a tough afternoon when they face Livorno in Tuscany tomorrow.

The Flying Donkeys bounced back from defeats at Parma and Sampdoria with a narrow triumph over Palermo last time out thanks to an Elvis Abbruscato goal in Verona.

And Chievo will be desperate to gain another positive result tomorrow with tricky-looking fixtures against Fiorentina and Napoli awaiting them before the end of the year.

"I saw a look of suffering in my players during the game against Palermo," said Di Carlo. "That is what I like to see.

"We got an important win, our first success at home since September (a 3-1 win over Genoa).

"But the road to safety is still a long one.

"We cannot rest on our laurels, each game poses a challenge for my team and Sunday's game is no exception."

Chievo have looked more comfortable playing away from home than in front of their own fans so far this term, with 10 of their 18 points collected on their travels.

Di Carlo's side are 13th in the standings, while Livorno are six points and five places worse off, desperate to climb towards safety before the Christmas break.

"Livorno have a good coach (Serse Cosmi), who has been ensuring they play some quality football," said Di Carlo.

"It will be a difficult game between two sides that are fighting for the same aim this season."

A win on Sunday could see the Leghorn-based outfit pull out of the relegation zone as they are level on 12 points with Atalanta, who face a stern test at Fiorentina this weekend.

Livorno have never beaten Chievo in Italy's top flight, Chievo having claimed five wins in six encounters between the two sides.

However, having seen his side beat Sampdoria 2-1 on Wednesday to progress to the last 16 of the Coppa Italia, Cosmi hopes his team can build on that success tomorrow.

"We have to play as we did against Sampdoria," said Cosmi. "We need to defend well, make the most of our chances and not give up.

"We still have a lot of work left to do to improve on our weaknesses and we know that each game is going to be a battle for us.

"But the season is a long one and we hope to reach our objective of avoiding the drop.".

Livorno must show a vast improvement in front of goal, though.

The Amaranto have the worst scoring record in the competition, having found the net just six times.

Cosmi will be hoping Cristiano Lucarelli can increase his goal tally, with the veteran forward having mustered just two goals so far.

The hosts welcome back defender Rivas and midfielder Mozart, both available having recovered from muscle injuries.

Chievo defender Mario Yepes and midfielder Luciano return to the starting XI having served one-match bans against Palermo.

However, defenders Fabio Moro and Nicholas Frey are still sidelined through injury.