The Barca coach ridiculed his counterpart's contention that he knows how the holders will play at Anfield when they seek to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg of their Champions League last-16 tie at the Nou Camp two weeks ago.
Benitez said on Monday he expected Rijkaard to send out a three-striker attack in a quest for goals from the kickoff.
The Dutchman replied: "I think it's great to play against a team whose manager knows everything, But...people who say they know everything are often the ones who know the least."
If Benitez is right, however, Liverpool need to re-build Fortress Anfield to withstand Barcelona's attacking force.
A 30-match unbeaten home Premier League run could not have ended at a worse time in Saturday's dramatic late defeat by Manchester United.
Putting that behind them will be vital for Liverpool, even though they will go through to the quarter-finals with a draw or even a 1-0 defeat.
"We must be ready and positive, and we must remember that we were better than United for a long time," Benitez told Liverpool's Web site (www.liverpoolfc.tv).
"We knew that these few days would define our season, we have lost one and have Barcelona now. We must realise what possibilities we now have in the Champions League."
Barca have the attacking talents of Ronaldinho, Samuel Eto'o and Lionel Messi, but Rijkaard's men can expect a wall of sound from the Anfield faithful, who played a big part in their team's run to a victorious final against AC Milan in 2005.
MISSING TERRY
Chelsea will be without captain John Terry when Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho faces his old club Porto, who he guided to Champions League glory in 2004, at Stamford Bridge.
England skipper Terry is still not ready after being knocked out in their League Cup final win over Arsenal on February 25 and will miss a tie that is finely balanced after a 1-1 draw two weeks ago.
However, Mourinho should have Dutch centre half Khalid Boulahrouz back after a shoulder injury.
Ivorian striker Didier Drogba, who scored his 29th goal of the season in Saturday's 2-0 league win at Portsmouth, will again lead the attack, most likely flanked by Andriy Shevchenko.
Like Chelsea, Valencia will have the away goals rule on their side when they host Inter Milan after a 2-2 draw at the San Siro.
The Spaniards have made much of a tight defence and rapid counter-attacks this season, tactics which are destined to punish Inter if they repeat the mistakes of the first leg -- when Roberto Mancini's side were twice in front.
Olympique Lyon need to keep a close eye on AS Roma skipper Francesco Totti if they are to avoid conceding a potentially fatal goal at home after drawing 0-0 in Italy.
Lyon manager Gerard Houllier told reporters on Monday: "Totti is a world-class player. You can't judge him on his World Cup because he was just coming back from a serious injury and didn't have time to prepare for it properly.
"My defenders will tell you that he is a very difficult customer."