And the Spaniard will be all too aware of the pressures that come with contesting a final in this competition, having won it with Chelsea last season.
The Serie A outfit come into this clash one down in the tie after Jackson Martinez scored the only goal in the opening leg in Portugal last week.
Porto, meanwhile, are adjusting to life under interim head coach Luis Castro, who tasted defeat for the first time at the weekend with the side's fifth league loss of the season at Sporting Lisbon.
Benitez, who is bidding to become the first manager to win the trophy in successive seasons with different clubs, has expressed concern about his side's congested schedule.
"It is certainly not easy to rest as they should when playing this high rate of games," he said. "We played two or three games in a few weeks and that has a cost.
"But we need to recover as quickly as possible and try to be bright on Thursday in the match against Porto to stay part of this European competition.
"For us it is like a final, a real final and we have to make the most of our chances."
