Manuel Locatelli saluted "phenomenon" Angel Di Maria, stating his Juventus team-mate is "in another category" after their narrow win over Freiburg.
Di Maria scored the only goal as the Bianconeri drew first blood in the opening leg of the Europa League last-16 tie, thumping home a header from Filip Kostic's 53rd-minute cross.
Following his hat-trick against Nantes in the previous round, the World Cup winner has now been directly involved in 10 goals in 2023 (scored seven, assisted three).
The 35-year-old revealed he is in talks with Juve over extending his 12-month contract, which expires at the end of the season, and Locatelli hailed his team-mate's influence on the side.
"Angel is a phenomenon, he's in another category, I think he's really a champion," the midfielder said. "For us, it's an honour to have him with us in training and in the game. We have to be thankful that he is here.
"We are only 1-0 up, today was only the first half, we must play a mature game there [in Freiburg next week]. The 1-0 may be enough, but we have to go there and play a great game.
Although they lead, Juventus will feel their advantage should be greater, having converted just one of their 20 shots on goal during the first leg.
Head coach Massimiliano Allegri has urged his players to demonstrate a greater clinical edge, though he also encouraged Dusan Vlahovic to stay patient with the striker now having gone five matches without finding the net.
"We have to improve in the number of goals scored," Allegri said. "We create enough, the [conversion] percentage is low. We need lucidity when we attack the area, we have to improve.
"I'm happy because physically Dusan is much better, he has to be calm. Maybe on Sunday [against Sampdoria], he will score."
Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life after Toney with comfortable win
Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.
Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home
Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.
Brentford 3-1 Southampton: Bees begin life without Toney with comfortable win
Brentford began life without Ivan Toney with a comfortable 3-1 victory over Southampton.
Bryan Mbeumo’s brace and a Yoane Wissa goal proved to be the difference between the two sides and condemned the Saints to their third straight loss since promotion back to the Premier League.
With departed striker Toney watching in the stands after his move to Al-Ahli in Saudi Arabia, the hosts proved too strong for Russell Martin’s men. They created the superior chances and capitalised on an error-strewn performance from Southampton’s backline.
Mbeumo opened the scoring on the stroke of half-time before doubling the lead halfway through the second period and Wissa then got on the scoresheet moments later to continue Brentford’s strong start to the campaign. Yukinari Sugawara bagged a consolation in injury time for the Saints.
Brentford sit in fifth place ahead of the first international break, while Southampton are second-bottom of the league table with zero points.
Data debrief: Wissa continues to prove effective at home
Wissa now has five goals and two assists in his last seven matches at the Gtech Community Stadium.
Brentford have recorded consecutive home league wins for the first time since last November, and the first time in their opening home games since August 2018.
Kompany urges Bayern to cut out errors against Freiburg
Vincent Kompany has urged Bayern Munich to stop making mistakes ahead of their Bundesliga match against Freiburg at home on Sunday.
Bayern narrowly secured a 3-2 victory against Wolfsburg last time out, courtesy of a late goal from Serge Gnabry, after conceding twice early in the second half.
"We observe everything, delve into details to find solutions and strive to create a perfect picture. We performed very well in the first half against Wolfsburg but lost momentum just after half-time," Kompany told reporters on Friday.
"Such lapses often occur due to mistakes. However, we fought back and persevered. The mentality was commendable. We need to address these issues as a team."
Freiburg claimed an impressive 3-1 win against last season's runners-up, Stuttgart, in their first match and Kompany acknowledged that Sunday would pose a different challenge.
"It's a difficult game for us but our objective at home at the Allianz Arena is always clear," Kompany said.
Despite injuries to defensive players, including Hiroki Ito and Josip Stanisic, who are out for the start of the season, Kompany was unconcerned about the overall squad situation.
"We're close to having everyone available. I don't want to exert too much pressure. We don't have many worries. I hope we’ll have everyone fit soon," he said.
Kompany said he was excited about the new-format Champions League after Bayern found out their fate in the competition in Thursday's draw, with Paris Saint-Germain and Barcelona among their adversaries.
"It feels new and exciting. I'm looking forward to it because it'll be different. You have eight opponents in very different situations. Previously, it was often clear who would advance after four games," Kompany said.
"I’m excited about the fixtures. An away game in Rotterdam is always nice; playing at home against Paris and away in Barcelona. The key is to keep the players fit, then we can relish the games."
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