Dusan Vlahovic and Federico Chiesa scored as Juventus saw off 10-man Freiburg to reach the Europa League quarter-finals, winning 2-0 in Germany to claim a 3-0 aggregate triumph.

Having established a slender lead in the Turin first leg, Juventus saw a Vlahovic effort disallowed for offside in Thursday's rematch before Manuel Gulde was dismissed for blocking a shot with an outstretched arm.

Vlahovic stepped up to convert the subsequent 45th-minute penalty and ease any Juventus nerves, before Chiesa came off the bench to add gloss to the scoreline late on.

Juventus were ultimately comfortable as they booked a place in Friday's last-eight draw, keeping hopes alive of European silverware – and qualification for next season's Champions League.

Freiburg penned back Juventus early on as they looked to level the tie, with Matthias Ginter forcing Wojciech Szczesny into a flying save with a downward header 22 minutes in.

The visitors thought they had the lead five minutes later as Vlahovic volleyed in after Gleison Bremer's header rattled the crossbar, but the Serbian's celebrations were cut short when a VAR review ruled him offside.

Juventus had better fortune with another VAR review as half-time approached. Federico Gatti's goal-bound shot struck the arm of Gulde as he attempted to block, earning the defender a second yellow card and allowing Vlahovic to score from the spot.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Freiburg continued to press after half-time, Michael Gregoritsch firing a free-kick wide before Szczesny turned Lucas Holer's volley away.

Chiesa saw a stoppage-time effort tipped onto the crossbar by Mark Flekken as Freiburg tired, and the substitute had his goal less than a minute later as he drilled a low effort in off the left post.

Angel Di Maria and Federico Chiesa remain in contention to play in Juventus' Europa League last-16 second leg against SC Freiburg despite injury worries.

Di Maria appeared hampered by a left thigh injury late in the 1-0 first-leg win last Thursday, where he earlier netted the winner, and subsequently missed Juventus' 4-2 Serie A win over Sampdoria on Sunday.

Chiesa came on in the 67th minute against Freiburg but sustained a right knee injury, although the club confirmed it was not ligament capsule damage.

Bianconeri head coach Massimiliano Allegri hopeful that the pair would play some part in the second leg, although he conceded they would not be fit to start.

"It is very unlikely they will be there from the start, as we only recovered them this morning, but they could be of use during the match," Allegri told reporters.

"I will evaluate Chiesa and Di Maria tomorrow morning and from there I can make my decision on the starting line-up.

"Unfortunately, Di Maria had this injury after the first leg with Freiburg and had to miss quite a few training sessions.

"The test went well today, that doesn’t mean he has a lot of minutes in his legs, but there is the risk we could lose him for 40 days, seeing as that is what happened in September.

"Tomorrow is important, but we also have many more matches to play this season."

Di Maria has scored eight goals in all competitions with four Serie Aa assists this term, while Chiesa has contributed three league assists with one goal.

Allegri declared striker Dusan Vlahovic was fully fit and available to play although he declined to commit to starting him alongside Moise Kean.

Vlahovic has not scored in his past six appearances dating back to his goal against Nantes in the Europa League on February 16.

"Dusan Vlahovic was very sad that he hasn't scored recently, but is fine physically. I am relaxed and certain that he’ll soon be back on the scoresheet," Allegri added.

"We want to score here, because just trying to defend for 0-0 is really not a good idea. Freiburg are good on set plays, we need to be very organised and concentrated for the full 100 minutes."

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."

Angel Di Maria revealed he is in talks with Juventus over a new contract after his header saw off Freiburg in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 tie.

The Argentina international settled the opening leg at the Allianz Stadium when he powered home Filip Kostic's 53rd-minute cross for his fourth goal in this season's competition.

Di Maria, who also netted a hat-trick against Nantes in the previous round, has now been directly involved in seven goals in his last six European appearances.

The 35-year-old endured an injury-hit start to life in Turin after signing a 12-month deal last July, but has already registered 10 goal involvements in 2023 (seven goals, three assists).

Bruno Fernandes and Toulouse's Branco van den Boomen are the only other midfielders in Europe's top five leagues to hit double figures in the calendar year.

Di Maria's future is uncertain, but he said negotiations to extend his stint with Juve are ongoing.

"I'm happy to have helped the team, we are doing a good job and we must continue like this," he told Sky. "The important thing was to win, and we did it.

"We will do our best [to reach the final of this competition]. We will try to win both the Coppa Italia and the Europa League.

"We're talking, I'm happy here, and I'm finally feeling the affection of the people after a difficult start."

Allegri also hailed Di Maria's impact, while saluting his side's display ahead of the second leg in Germany next week.

"Tonight, [Di Maria] scored a wonderful goal but, above all, he gave an extraordinary performance.

"We played a very good match tonight, with great intensity and good technically. The only thing we missed too many times was the last pass. We could have chosen better and that made the difference.

"In Freiburg, it won't be easy, but the thing that makes me think positive is that they will give us spaces, and we will have to exploit them."

Angel Di Maria scored the only goal of the game as Juventus beat Freiburg in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 encounter.

Juve registered a whopping 20 shots at the Allianz Stadium, where Di Maria's second-half header Bianconeri gave them a slender lead in the tie.

The Argentina international continued to shine in this competition, having netted a hat-trick against Nantes in the previous round.

Freiburg, who saw their five-match unbeaten streak halted, must come from behind when the teams recommence battle in Germany next week.

Massimiliano Allegri's decision to drop Paul Pogba from the squad for disciplinary reasons dominated the build-up to what was Juve's first Europa League showdown against German opposition since they faced Borussia Dortmund in the 1994-95 semi-finals.

Pogba's fellow France international Adrien Rabiot almost opened the scoring when he drew smart reflexes out of Mark Flekken, who also kept out Juan Cuadrado's free-kick.

Bremer then somehow failed to find an open goal in the 31st minute, the defender heading over Di Maria's deep corner from just two yards out, while Cuadrado stung Flekken's palms once more before the break.

Juve eventually made the breakthrough eight minutes into the second half, when Di Maria powered home a header from Filip Kostic's centre.

Freiburg thought they had responded in the 62nd minute but, following a consultation with the VAR, Lucas Holer's wonderful volley was ruled out as Matthias Ginter handled in the build-up.

Vincenzo Grifo was then marginally off target with a free-kick that represented the visitors' only recorded attempt on goal, as the Serie A side saw out a narrow victory.

Paul Pogba has been dropped by Juventus for Thursday's Europa League clash with Freiburg in Turin.

The France international was reportedly late for a team meeting on Wednesday and was not included in Massimiliano Allegri's squad when it was circulated on the morning of the last-16, first-leg tie.

Pogba has endured a miserable start to his second spell with Juve after re-joining the club from Manchester United last July.

The 29-year-old midfielder has suffered with multiple injuries and had to wait until February 28 to make his second debut, coming off the bench in the 4-2 derby win against Torino and also appeared as a late substitute in Sunday's 1-0 defeat at Roma.

Thursday's game against Bundesliga club Freiburg had been earmarked as one in which he could make a long-awaited start with Allegri outlining his optimism at the pre-match press conference.

However, widespread reports in Italy have suggested Pogba was late to a team meeting 24 hours before the game with Allegri subsequently opting to leave the player out completely.

Paul Pogba's fitness will be assessed ahead of Juventus' Europa League meeting with Freiburg on Thursday, with the midfielder still eyeing his first start since his Bianconeri return.

Pogba made his long-awaited second Juve debut in a 4-2 win over cross-city rivals Torino last month after enduring several injury setbacks since re-joining from Manchester United last July.

Having appeared from the bench in that fixture, the France international did likewise in Sunday's demoralising 1-0 defeat at Roma in Serie A.

Asked if Pogba could make his first start of the season when Juventus host Freiburg in the first leg of their last-16 tie, boss Massimiliano Allegri was hopeful but uncertain.

Allegri said: "Yesterday [Tuesday] he did a good workout, today [Wednesday] he was separate from the group. Tomorrow [Thursday] morning we'll understand if he can be available.

"He didn't work with the team [on Wednesday]. I think he will be available, but we'll see."

An Angel Di Maria hat-trick fired Juve past Nantes in the last round of the competition, delivering a 3-0 away win after the Bianconeri toiled to a 1-1 draw at home to the French side.  

With Freiburg one of just three teams to go unbeaten in the Europa League's group stage this term (also Real Betis and Fenerbahce), Allegri is aware of the need for an improved home display.

"We want to lay the foundations for the second leg," he said. "They are physically strong, they are fifth in Germany, they are unbeaten in Europe. 

"We have to go back to winning at home – in the Champions League and in the Europa League we only got one win [at the Allianz Stadium this season].

"So we'll need attention, otherwise we'll have to do the same as against Nantes. We have to win on Thursday, whether it's by one or two goals – it won't be easy, it will be balanced."

Juventus will be able to draw on the experience of Filip Kostic, a Europa League winner with Eintracht Frankfurt last season, and the Serbian says lifting Europe's secondary club trophy is now the team's foremost aim.

"I know the competition, I won it with Eintracht – it was our dream to win the Europa League. With Juventus it's different, the goals were different, but now we want to win it," Kostic said.

"They are a tough, compact, solid opponent. To win this Europa League – which is our main objective – we will have to overcome them. We want to get as far as possible and we go game by game."

Manchester United have been drawn to face Real Betis in the Europa League's round of 16, while Arsenal will battle Sporting CP for a quarter-final spot.

United came from behind to clinch a 2-1 victory over Barcelona at Old Trafford on Thursday, and their reward for a 4-3 aggregate triumph over the Blaugrana is a tie against another Spanish opponent.

Having not lifted any silverware since winning this competition in 2017, United are in the hunt for four trophies this term, though Erik ten Hag's men will be tested by a side sat fifth in LaLiga.

Betis boss Manuel Pellegrini has faced United on four previous occasions in European competitions, with all four games finishing goalless during his time with Villarreal (in the 2005-06 and 2008-09 Champions League group stages).

Premier League leaders Arsenal will face Sporting after Ruben Amorim's team thrashed Midtjylland 5-1 on aggregate in the knockout round play-offs.

Sporting have progressed from each of their previous six ties against English teams in the knockout stages of the UEFA Cup/Europa League, with all six coming against different teams.

The other standout last-16 ties see Juventus meet Freiburg, while Jose Mourinho's Roma will take on Real Sociedad as they bid to follow up last season's inaugural Europa Conference League triumph.  

Feyenoord, who Roma beat in the final of that competition, have been paired with Shakhtar Donetsk, while surprise Bundesliga challengers Union Berlin will face Belgium's Union Saint-Gilloise.

Six-time winners Sevilla – the most successful club in UEFA Cup/Europa League history – will face Fenerbahce, while Bayer Leverkusen will take on Ferencvaros. 

The first legs of the last-16 ties will take place on March 9, with the group-stage winners hosting the return fixtures one week later. 

Europa League last-16 draw in full

Bayer Leverkusen v Ferencvaros
Juventus v Freiburg
Manchester United v Real Betis
Roma v Real Sociedad
Sevilla v Fenerbahce
Shakhtar Donetsk v Feyenoord
Sporting CP v Arsenal
Union Berlin v Union Saint-Gilloise

Sebastian Haller felt Signal Iduna Park was "burning" as he celebrated his first Bundesliga goal for Borussia Dortmund.

The 28-year-old netted in a symbolic moment, with his maiden goal in the 5-1 rout of Freiburg coming on World Cancer Day.

After signing for Dortmund in July, Haller was diagnosed with testicular cancer and did not feature in the first half of the season during his recovery.

A long-awaited debut came in January, and he got onto the scoresheet on Saturday.

Haller's goal resulted in rapturous celebrations from the home fans, who had seen their club promote awareness to testicular cancer on the day, which delighted the Ivory Coast forward.

"Scoring my first goal means a lot to me," he told Sky.

"When I scored the goal, I felt that the whole stadium was burning. Not only the fans, but also the team-mates and the staff.

"I had been looking forward to this goal from the very first moment."

Dortmund's victory puts them level on points with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga, who play Wolfsburg on Sunday, sitting two points behind leaders Union Berlin.

Christian Gunter was lost for words after his Freiburg side were thumped 6-0 by Wolfsburg on their return to Bundesliga action on Saturday.

Freiburg entered the two-month break second only to Bayern Munich in the table after winning four of their final five league games of 2022.

But any thoughts of possibly rivalling 10-in-a-row champions Bayern were put into perspective by Wolfsburg at the Volkswagen Arena.

Christian Streich's side were behind after just 59 seconds through a Patrick Wimmer strike, before Jonas Wind's double put the hosts in complete control before half-time.

Yannick Gerhardt and Ridle Baku joined the scoresheet in the second half, and Luca Waldschmidt beat Mark Flekken from the penalty spot to complete the scoring.

"I don't have any explanation. It wasn't expected. We have to look at what went wrong," Freiburg captain Gunter told Sky Sport.

"It's extremely painful to start like this in 2023. Everything came together for them; it was a very bad day for us."

Freiburg's heavy loss sees them drop to fourth below Eintracht Frankfurt and Union Berlin, with all three sides five points behind leaders Bayern.

Reflecting on a chastening day for his side, Freiburg head coach Christian Streich said: "We lost 6-0 and didn't have a chance.

"After the first minute, we got to know how good Wolfsburg are. In the end, we lost 6-0. What can I say? Maybe it's best I don't say anything."

Wolfsburg's win was their fifth in a row in Bundesliga – their best run since 2014 when winning six in a row – and moves them within four points of the Champions League spots.

"We got off to a very good start," Wolfsburg coach Niko Kovac said. "From our second shot, we scored our second goal, then it was a sure-fire success from there.

"Basically, you can't go wrong from there. I'm happy with the way this team is developing."

Brentford have completed the signing of Germany Under-21 international Kevin Schade on an initial loan from Freiburg.

The pacy attacker will join up with the Premier League side, subject to international clearance, until the end of the season, though Brentford confirmed they then "expect to make the deal permanent for a club-record undisclosed fee", with reports suggesting that could be in the region of £22million (€25m).

Schade made his Freiburg debut in August 2021 and scored seven goals in 36 games for the Bundesliga club.

Speaking to the club's website after the announcement of the 21-year-old's arrival, Bees coach Thomas Frank said: "I think Kevin is a typical Brentford signing. He is a young, promising talent that we see a big potential in. We have been following him for a while and we think he will suit our style of play.

"He can play anywhere across our front three positions. He could play for us on either wing or as the central striker. He has great pace and is very promising in the way he runs behind defences.

"He is very good aerially, in both boxes, and can develop even more to be a real threat as an offensive option with his head.

"We like the way he presses when the team do not have the ball. He is willing to work very hard for his team. We see him as a player that could have a big potential to be a fine goalscorer and it is great to have him at Brentford. Our coaching staff are looking forward to working with him."

Brentford are enjoying another fruitful season in the Premier League, sitting ninth in the table after their 3-1 win against Liverpool on Monday.

Bayern Munich, Newcastle United and Chelsea are reportedly all interested in promising Leeds United goalkeeper Illan Meslier.

Meslier, 22, arrived at Elland Road on loan as a 19-year-old in 2019, forcing his way into the starting role as they won the Championship and earned promotion before the club made his deal permanent for £5million.

Since then, he has become the youngest goalkeeper to reach 50 Premier League appearances, and the youngest goalkeeper to tally 10 Premier League clean sheets, earning 11 caps for France's under-21 team in the process.

His exploits – including a season-high nine saves in a 2-1 win against Liverpool in October – have caught the eye of some of Europe's big spenders, and Leeds could be forced into a tough decision sooner rather than later.

TOP STORY – CHAMPIONS LEAGUE HOPEFULS QUEUE UP FOR LEEDS' MESLIER

According to RMC Sport, Bayern view Meslier as a potential long-term successor to Manuel Neuer, although they need the reinforcements as soon as possible due to Neuer's season-ending injury.

Leeds will be in the driver's seat in negotiations, however, with Meslier's contract tying him to the club until 2026.

Meanwhile, Chelsea and Newcastle have been impressed with his performances in the Premier League and would like to add him to their ranks.

It was reported two weeks ago by the Daily Mail that Eduoard Mendy had rejected a six-year contract extension from Chelsea, which would add fuel to this fire, while it is unclear how Newcastle view Nick Pope in their long-term plans.

ROUND-UP

– Fabrizio Romano is reporting Bayern, Newcastle, Liverpool and Paris Saint-Germain will all make a run at signing 21-year-old Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Manu Kone at the end of the season.

– According to The Times, Brentford are in the final stages of a £22m move for 21-year-old Freiburg forward Kevin Schade.

– Chelsea will make a late charge for 21-year-old Shakhtar Donetsk winger and Arsenal target Mykhaylo Mudryk, per Fabrizio Romano.

– Calciomercato is reporting 24-year-old Juventus midfielder Weston McKennie has turned down transfers to Bournemouth and Aston Villa in the hope of landing at a bigger club.

– According to The Athletic, Manchester United could still sell right-back Aaron Wan-Bissaka this month despite starting in all three of United's wins since the Premier League season resumed.

Bayern Munich have been drawn against Mainz in the last 16 of the DFB-Pokal, while Borussia Dortmund face a derby showdown with Bochum.

Record 20-time winners Bayern saw off Viktoria Koln and Augsburg to reach the third round for the first time in three seasons.

Julian Nagelsmann's side now face a tricky trip to Mainz, who are sixth in the Bundesliga and have defeated Bayern in their past two meetings on home soil.

Dortmund have also been drawn against top-flight opposition, with a trip to local rivals Bochum awaiting them when the ties are played at the end of January.

Defending champions RB Leipzig will host Hoffenheim, meanwhile, and surprise Bundesliga leaders Union Berlin are at home to Wolfsburg.

Elsewhere, Sandhausen have been drawn against Freiburg, Stuttgart face a trip to Paderborn, Eintracht Frankfurt host Darmstadt and Nurnberg will meet Fortuna Dusseldorf.

Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting earned plaudits from Bayern Munich boss Julian Nagelsmann after playing a starring role in Sunday's 5-0 demolition of Freiburg.

Facing a team who were unbeaten in their past 11 games, Bayern picked apart Freiburg as Choupo-Moting led the attack, finishing with one goal and one assist for his endeavour.

The former Mainz, Schalke and Paris Saint-Germain player featured for 66 minutes until Jamal Musiala was given a run-out.

It had been the 33-year-old Choupo-Moting's first game in the starting XI for Bayern this season. By the time he left the field, the Cameroon international had convinced coach Nagelsmann there could be plenty more starts for him this season.

"Choupo did very well, he brought his success in practice into the pitch and certainly he deserved to play a little bit earlier maybe at some stage," Nagelsmann said.

"I'm very happy to have him. We know we can rely on Choupo. He got a great goal. He's a great player all around. We're happy that we have him."

Choupo-Moting is hoping the standout display leads to more involvement, too. This was the first time he had played more than 21 minutes in a 2022-23 Bundesliga game.

The striker told DAZN: "I try to step on the gas every day in training and the boys see that. I know what I can do and that I can help the team.

"Julian knows that I see it that way and I told him so. It's nice that it worked out and of course I want to keep playing a lot and be successful with the team."

Bayern came into the game with just one win in their last six Bundesliga outings, four of which ended in draws.

Oliver Kahn, the club CEO, had demanded better results, and Bayern delivered on that request to move to second place in the Bundesliga, four points behind early shock leaders Union Berlin. They vaulted above Freiburg with the win.

Nagelsmann said: "I'm very happy with the result and the three points. There was definitely pressure before the game because Freiburg are successful and play good football and deserve to be near top of the table. The boys did a very good job and were very focused.

"In defence, we had one very dangerous situation in the first half where Freiburg didn't finish perfectly. I think we played nice football with great finishing. Big compliment to the team."

Bayern sit between Union and Freiburg now, with 10 rounds of games gone, in a top three that few would have predicted at the start of the season.

"Freiburg deserve to be there because they're playing very well," Nagelsmann said in his post-game press conference. "Union is one of the top teams in the league and they'll probably continue that over the next couple of weeks."

Julian Nagelsmann saw the Bayern Munich he was looking for as the reigning champions crushed Freiburg 5-0 to leapfrog their visitors into second place in the Bundesliga.

Serge Gnabry, Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Leroy Sane, Sadio Mane and Marcel Sabitzer scored in a rout at the Allianz Arena as Bayern kept up their remarkable home record against Freiburg.

Bayern have never lost at home against Sunday's opponents in the Bundesliga, with this success meaning they have taken 20 wins and three draws from their 23 clashes in Munich.

Results and performances in the Champions League have been good for Bayern, but in the Bundesliga they have been inconsistent. Now, perhaps, after last week's jolt of letting Borussia Dortmund pinch a point from 2-0 down, we might start to see coach Nagelsmann's men at their clinical best domestically on a regular basis.

Bayern began this game two points behind their visitors, just the third time they had ever gone into a Bundesliga game against Freiburg trailing them in the standings.

A strong start from Bayern resulted in them leading inside 13 minutes thanks to Gnabry's fine header after Mark Flekken's sharp save from Leroy Sane's close-range shot resulted in the ball looping up towards the penalty spot.

The hosts doubled their lead in the 33rd minute when Choupo-Moting was not sufficiently closed down inside the penalty area by Matthias Ginter, with the striker drilling a low shot across Flekken and inside the left post.

Gnabry hit the left post before Sane struck in the 52nd minute to effectively kill the game, as a fierce 22-yard shot with his left foot sped past Flekken into the left corner.

With the pressure off, Mane got in on the act with a neat lob after Philipp Lienhart made an embarrassingly poor attempt to cut out Gnabry's floated pass from the right flank. Sabitzer added the fifth in the 80th minute, capitalising on more messing defending before sweeping home from 15 yards.