Buffon: Juventus must improve to be 'on par with Barcelona, Bayern Munich'

Gianluigi Buffon isn't letting results cloud his judgement.

The Juventus shot-stopper, speaking after a hard-fought 2-1 win over fellow title challenger Napoli on Saturday, admitted that his side needs to turn in stronger performances to reach its ultimate goal of competing in Europe against the continent's perennial heavyweights.

Related - Watch: Higuain fires winner against former side Napoli

"It was a match we won, that gives us great confidence, joy and morale against a direct competitor for the title, but we must improve in terms of performance and many other situations," he was quoted as saying by Football Italia after the contest.

"The objective is to build a radiant future and one that lasts as long as possible, both in Italy and in Europe. Despite the fact results say we are top of the table in Serie A and the Champions League group, we need to realise the current level won’t be enough, so we need steps forward.

"If we go into the next round in Europe, it’ll be the hard stuff from March and we’ll have no more time to work on it then. We need to make those improvements now."

Buffon continued, "If our idea is to win the Scudetto, Coppa Italia, and Super Cup, then this performance and spirit could well be enough.

"If we want to play on a par with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, then it is our duty to do better and find another gear."

Juventus' next opportunity to hit that gear comes Wednesday, when a win over Lyon will be enough to secure progression to the knockout stage of the Champions League.