Atalanta and AC Milan were beaten by Club Brugge and Feyenoord, respectively, with Juventus defeating Porto.
Former Napoli and Inter Milan coach Benitez told La Gazzetta dello Sport: "We must be optimistic, without losing realism. Juventus starts with a minimal but useful advantage, they can direct the game and have the right men, they found the goals of Kolo Muani, they have recovered Vlahovic, they have their own personality. And Milan and Atalanta in the return leg will have the opportunity to play at home, in front of their fans, they will feel their warmth, they will know how to use it."
On the refereeing incidents that penalised Atalanta in Bruges, Benitez added: "We need to put them behind us quickly, in fact at this point it is necessary to stop thinking about them, so as not to fall into that subtle form of victimism that risks making the situation worse. I understand Atalanta's disappointment, a match that became very difficult at the beginning, which however was in control with the 1-1, because by then there were only a few seconds left, decided by a penalty that is difficult to understand."
Finally, a joke about Mike Maignan's mistake for Milan: "One of the players historically with the highest performance. The confirmation that football is sometimes a lie, as I have always said. An accident, there is nothing more to add, nor to dwell on indefinitely. It's done. It's over. We start again. Leao is the player who can make a change and resolve it even in the darkest moment. He has already done it and can do it again, he has it in his strings. And this is the ideal moment to reaffirm his strength. Also because if not now never again, the Champions League will not give you other opportunities and it will be forbidden to fail.
"But a challenge like this, with such an imposing value, cannot be entrusted to just one player, however brilliant. Milan must be able to get back on its feet through more men. Reinforcements have arrived from the market who have fixed some sectors and raised the level of the group."