At the end of a week of turmoil and ecstasy, Liverpool face Middlesbrough at Anfield in the first of four crucial Barclays Premier League matches before the second instalment of a their last-16 clash with Inter on March 11.

And if Liverpool do beat Gareth Southgate's side, they will reclaim fourth place from city rivals Everton - who play on Monday - on goal difference.

This week has seen Liverpool humiliated by Barnsley in the FA Cup before their 2-0 victory over the Italian champions.

And Benitez - who has taken a 'well done' call from co-owner Tom Hicks this week - admitted that consistency is now the only thing that will salvage Liverpool's battered league campaign.

He said: "We have clear targets. We must progress in the Champions League and we must finish in the top four, now we have as our priority the four league games we play before we go to the San Siro.

"We must be in the top four before we face Inter Milan. That will be a tough game but we will go there with more confidence if we are in the top four.

"The players know that we must take care of the Premier League now. Four games, all very important, are next. If we can go to Milan with four league wins under our belts, things will be much, much better.

"After this next four games I will be able to say whether we are favourites for fourth place. Clearly we have enough quality and confidence, but we know we must do the job properly with so many clubs chasing the same thing.

"We could have made it easier for ourselves, so we have to start winning as soon as possible."

After the clash with Middlesbrough they visit Bolton and then face West Ham and Newcastle at Anfield ahead of the trip to Milan.

Benitez knows Liverpool should be capable of winning all four, but they will have to overcome their poor home form to do so. The Reds have won just five league games at Anfield all season.

Benitez, who will be without the suspended Jamie Carragher, said: "If we can beat Middlesbrough I will be able to say that our confidence was boosted by beating Inter Milan, so I will wait to see how we play in this next game.

"We have a lot of respect for Middlesbrough and it will be tough. We should also enjoy the memories of beating Inter Milan, but we must finish in the top four so we must start winning right now.

"We set a club record for points in the Premier League a couple of seasons ago. So we know how to win, we know how to play and we know how to win a lot of games in a row.

"Very good teams lose very few games, we have only lost three in the league. What we must be is very consistent and do everything perfectly.

"We must approach every game with confidence because we have enough quality. We do not need to think about the Champions League for a while, we must win the next four league games and that will make things look very differently.

"Nobody can say anything about the work rate of our players, our supporters can see this. That is very positive and we must build on that."

Benitez could have new defender Martin Skrtel back from an ankle injury, otherwise he will have to use Alvaro Arbeloa alongside Sami Hyypia in central defence.

The Spaniard has also had encouraging news about Danish defender Daniel Agger who has been given the go ahead to play for the reserves on Tuesday after almost five months out with a metatarsal injury.

Benitez also played down suggestions that Xabi Alonso could be leaving in the summer, with Barcelona and Real Madrid believed to among the interested parties.

"When you have a big squad, it is impossible to play every game. But Xabi is a key player for us, with quality, and he must compete for his position," Benitez added.

"I was talking with his agent this week, I have also heard the rumours about him going somewhere else. But he is a player we want for us, for our future.

"He must compete for his place. We have four midfielders and it is a position I like to be in.

"He has re-signed a new, long, contract only recently. It is a good contract and he is important for us now and for the future."