Scolari confident of victory over Holland in upcoming friendly

Portugal coach Luiz Felipe Scolari said he was confident of victory when his squad faces Holland in a friendly in Eindhoven on Wednesday.

"I expect a good match and clear difficulties from Holland but we already have a certain pattern which leads me to believe that we are going to play solidly and obtain a victory," he told reporters.

Scolari, who took the reins of the Portuguese side after leading his homeland Brazil to World Cup glory last year, will be looking to win his third consecutive friendly as Portugal coach.

Portugal, which automatically qualifies for Euro 2004 as host country, lost its first match with Scolari as coach in February with a 2-1 loss to Italy.

But last month Scolari led Portugal to a confidence-boosting 2-1 victory over the Brazilian team he made world leaders for a record fifth time last summer at a match held in Portugal's second-city Oporto. It was the first time since 1966 that Portugal defeated Brazil.

Portugal followed up this victory with a 1-0 win against Macedonia in Switzerland earlier this month.

Scolari said the Portuguese side was increasingly playing as he would like but there was still room for improvement.

"The rhythm was better with Brazil and with Macedonia, but it was not where I want it to be or else the matches would have been swamped with goals," he said.