"In that sense it's simple: you have to win twice to stay in contention. Tomorrow we want just one thing: to win," Klaassen continued. "For the standings, for the team, for yourself, for Ajax and for the exposure."
Improvement
Ajax are hoping to bounce back in Spain after a poor previous week. Ajax suffered a 6-0 defeat away to AZ in the cup midweek and then failed to go beyond a 2-2 draw against Go Ahead Eagles in the Johan Cruijff ArenA last weekend. Asked about it, Klaassen said he saw few similarities between the two matches.
"Against AZ we had a really bad day. Against Go Ahead we played a very good first half. In the second half we were okay on the ball, but without it clearly not good enough. We’ve analysed it and are trying to make it trainable, so that we can improve on that tomorrow and during the rest of the second half of the season."
In search of a second three-point haul in the Champions League, Ajax face a tough opponent in Villarreal. "They are a strong, serious side. They're not in third place for nothing, just five points behind Barcelona and four behind Real Madrid," said Grim.
Open game
The coach was asked several times what kind of match he expects. "I expect two teams that really want to win. That could result in an open game with plenty of chances. I’m expecting an interesting match because both teams have stated their intention to go for the win."
On Spanish soil, Youri Baas is back in the squad. Grim did not reveal whether the defender will be included straight away in his starting eleven. "He could possibly start immediately," said the Ajax coach about Baas, who missed the matches against Go Ahead Eagles and AZ due to injury.
