Juninho praises Luiz Felipe Scolari's management style

Former Brazilian international Juninho has hailed Luiz Felipe Scolari's management style.

The midfielder was a member of the 23-man squad selected by Scolari that triumphed at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

With the pressure of being the host nation on the current crop of players this time around, Juninho believes that Scolari will be able to settle any nerves.

"When I played under Scolari, he always tried to take the pressure off his players, and he will definitely be doing that at this World Cup," he told BBC Sport. "He is a very straight-up guy and always tells you exactly what he is feeling, and whether you are in or out of his team. That is important for the players to know.

"At the 2002 World Cup, we trusted him and he built a squad like a big family group. It meant we were all looking out for each other and made the group feel stronger."

Brazil will play their second group encounter against Mexico in Fortaleza tonight.