At the Bernabeu stadium, where he started his career as Real Madrid's B-team boss, Benitez needs to demonstrate his ability to win a one-off tie perhaps more than at any time in his career.

Let's face it, 2009 has not been kind to Benitez.

Ever since the Liverpool manager launched his rant at Sir Alex Ferguson his team have struggled in the Premier League.

They have drawn against Stoke and Wigan and Manchester City, lost in the FA Cup against Everton and won just two of their last eight matches, even if one of those was against Chelsea.

Gradually, they have seen Manchester United overhaul them and take a seven-point lead in the title race.

In short, Liverpool have been a team on the slide.

That is why Real Madrid has become Benitez's line in the sand. It is a tie he must win if the doubters are not to pounce once more on his contract deliberations, his uneasy relationship with the club's American owners and his own unpredictable team selections.

The match has been given added spice because of the fine job done by Juande Ramos at the Bernabeu since his departure from Tottenham.

Real lie seven points behind Barcelona in the Spanish league table but that margin was 12 when Ramos took over.

Since Ramos's arrival two months ago Real's defence has let in just four goals and the players talk of the "organisation" allied to the attacking "freedom" they are enjoying under their new coach.

It might not be like the galactico days just yet but there is a sense the old giant is rousing. A chance, too, that Ramos might be moving towards a long-term deal at the Bernabeu, which would close down Benitez's preferred destination if he decided to leave Merseyside.

That is another reason why the stakes are so high.

Mostly, however, the pressure on Benitez comes down to the fact that Liverpool look like extending their wait for the domestic league title they used to regard as their own to 19 years while Manchester United are poised to equal their record of 18 league titles.

The psychological significance of that statistic on the red half of Merseyside cannot be overestimated, so much so that in some quarters the Champions League is looked upon as a consolation prize.

Can Benitez deliver it again as he did so dramatically in Istanbul in 2005? Are Liverpool good enough to get to the final as they did in 2007?

It is a tough ask. Star striker Fernando Torres is not yet back to his sharpest after his hamstring problem while Steven Gerrard is recovering from a similar injury and may have to be content with a place on the bench against Real.

Without those two at their best Liverpool are deprived of their cutting edge. Their attacking limitations are exposed. Where Manchester United can call on a coach-load of game-winners, Liverpool's are in short supply.

Yet in the Bernabeu the emphasis will be on the solidity and caution which has been the hallmark of Benitez's Anfield reign.

The responsibility will rest on Jamie Carragher to marshal a defence which must take care of former Chelsea winger Arjen Robben, who has been rejuvenated under Ramos, and an attack which scored six against Real Betis at the weekend.

Liverpool will not take risks. They will look to subdue the Ramos wave of optimism, something Benitez's robotic approach is perfectly suited to doing.

The smart money says they will then wrest the advantage on another of those historic European nights at Anfield.