The Spaniard managed Liverpool from 2004 to 2010, winning a Champions League title in the process, so understands what's at stake when the Reds and Madrid battle it out in Kiev on May 26.
When asked how he views the final from a football point of view, Benitez replied: "It's going to be an interesting final. Seeing Real Madrid against Juventus and Bayern you realise that they have experience and quality, and they know how to handle games in extreme situations .. That's a plus.
"Liverpool, on the other hand, play with a lot of intensity, quality, pace... The pace of the Premier League is far superior to that of other leagues as you saw for yourselves against Roma, for example."
He was then asked if there was a clear favourite: "No. The result is open. Both have options to win. A goal one way or another can change everything because they are fairly even. Anything can happen."