"I knew it could be difficult when the draw took place because they were a good team - and now they have improved from two months ago," said Benitez.
"Juande Ramos is doing well. They are winning games in a row and so have more confidence.
"Defensively they have improved. Some players who were injured are back. Signing Lassana Diarra means they have two midfielders who can defend more, so they are more solid.
"But football is football - that's what a famous Spanish manager always said. This sentence is very famous in Spain and it's true. Anything can happen in a game.
"We want to score and we want to win. Sometimes a draw is good but we will go to win."