The 29-year-old spent three years with the Portuguese side between 2011 and 2014 and the Serbian international credits the 'Águias' as having made him the player he is today.
Matic returns to his former stomping ground tomorrow night with current club Manchester United as one of the most higly-rated defensive midfielders in world football, but in an interview with United's official website, he explained that his current role wasn't always his forte.
'When I first came to Benfica, the manager Jorge Jesus told me on my first day I would be playing as a No 6 or as a defensive midfielder,' Matic explained.
'At the beginning, it was strange for me because I didn't know I could play that position but, slowly, I trained with the team and the manager explained to me how to do it.
'And after a lot of hard work, now, I'm at Manchester United, so I must have done the job well!'
The former Chelsea midfielder still holds a special place in his heard for the Portuguese giants, but admits that whilst tomorrow's game will be a special occasion for him, his only target is three points.
'It's a special club, a club that I love,' said Matic. 'At Benfica, I learnt a lot about football and about the pressure of playing for a big club, because they are one of the best clubs in Europe.
'I will support them for the rest of my life and they will have a special place in my heart but, in the Champions League, I hope we can take points from them.'