They would face a trip to Zenit St Petersburg or Basle three days after the United game, with the visit of Sunderland likely to be moved from the following Saturday to the Sunday, making it four games in nine days.
Should Chelsea fail to overcome the Romanian side, Benítez will again find himself the target of criticism, just as he had at Old Trafford last Sunday when his decision to replace Frank Lampard and Victor Moses with Eden Hazard and John Obi Mikel was greeted with chants of "you don't know what you're doing" from visiting supporters.
The subsequent recovery from 2-0 down to claim a 2-2 draw justified the Spaniard's decision and yesterday Benítez reacted to being cast in the role of scapegoat.
Asked about the looming fixture congestion, Benítez said: "I can do nothing about that. Just concentrate on my job and try to do my best to prepare the team for every competition. Maybe somebody else will blame me, They will say it's my fault, because everything is my fault."
Pressed on the matter, he insisted he was being light-hearted before expressing his frustration at being the target of repeated criticism.
"I was joking. But if something is wrong some people want to blame me. I have to manage this, too."
Benítez – who refused to be drawn on the Football Association's decision not to charge Manchester United Rio Ferdinand for his off-the-ball collision with Fernando Torres – will again make changes to his side as he rotates his squad with one eye on the match with West Ham on Sunday although the interim manager knows his team selections, on Thursday night and in coming weeks, will be used against him if and when his team falter.
"I have to pick the team for each game and make sure of a competitive game for each competition. You have to analyse everything and decide and still you get criticised. If you lose it's 'you pick the wrong player'. It's quite difficult. Each team is different but it depends on the players you have and the fixtures."
Benítez is anxious for his side to build on the momentum of their second half last Sunday and César Azpilicueta believes that recovery can provide the impetus for Chelsea to rescue a disappointing campaign.
"I think that was really important for us," the right-back said.
"We were very strong mentally. It was very difficult and for the confidence of the team very important. We have the squad to play in all the competitions. We want to win trophies. Now we have three objectives. This is the next one, to carry on in the Europa League. We want to win every trophy. It's an objective and we're not going to sacrifice any competition."
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