Juventus established a narrow Europa League first-leg advantage over Freiburg without Paul Pogba who was dropped for disciplinary reasons.
It is understood the French midfielder was late for a team meeting and Juve coach Max Allegri opted not to include him for the last-16 match in Turin.
Angel di Maria, a World Cup winner with Argentina in 2022, scored the only goal of the game for the Italians.
The return leg in Germany takes place next Thursday (17:45 GMT).
Meanwhile, Roma also took a step towards the quarter-finals after beating Real Sociedad 2-0 in the Italian capital.
Jose Mourinho’s side, who won the Europa Conference League last season, scored an early goal from a counter-attack by Stephan El Shaarawy.
Marash Kumbulla’s late header wrapped up victory after Sociedad’s Mikel Merino had missed a golden opportunity to equalise.
The second leg in Spain is also next Thursday (20:00).
