Juventus full-back Dani Alves has warned his side they cannot be so profligate in front of goal if they are to go far in this year’s Champions League.

The 2015 finalists opened up the group stage with a 0-0 draw against Sevilla in Turin on Wednesday night as record signing Gonzalo Higuain hit the crossbar and Sami Khedira squandered two clear first-half openings.

It was a frustrating night for Juve and summer signing Alves, a three-time Champions League winner with Barcelona, knows they have to take their chances if they are to rival the continent’s elite this term.

“Tonight we didn’t get that break you sometimes require in matches,” he said in quotes published on juventus.com.

“You need to be psychologically very strong in competitions like these and it’s crucial to take advantage of every opening on goal.

“We created plenty of chances and imposed ourselves on the match, but you don’t always get the rub of the green. After the break, we had even more opportunities, but Sevilla continued to make matters tough on the night.”

Alves spent six years with Sevilla, winning two UEFA Cups, and his old club produced an admirable defensive performance to frustrate the Bianconeri.

Goalkeeper Sergio Rico made a crucial late save down to his right in stoppage time to thwart Alex Sandro’s header, though he diverted any individual praise onto the collective effort.

“It is true that with that stop we managed to maintain the result, but it’s not my work, it’s the great display that has made the team, which has competed at every moment,” he said on Sevilla’s official website.