Chile and Bolivia will play it out in Group A at the Copa America 2015 on Friday. The winner of this matchup will qualify for the quarterfinals. Live stream of the match can be watched below.
According to a report from PA Sport, Chile coach Jorge Sampaoli has to deal with the shame coming from Arturo Vidal, who apologized after his driving license was suspended while supposedly being under the influence of alcohol. He spent Tuesday night in jail and is currently out on bail.
"He is a very valuable player for us," Sampaoli said, noting that Vidal will play in Friday's game against Bolivia. "I don't think one should be excluded for making a mistake."
According to PA Sport, Vidal crashed his Ferrari in Santiago, where his wife, Maria, reportedly suffered "moderate injuries." Sampaoli emphasized that Vidal "always had good behavior while with the national team."
"It's much easier to exclude than to include," Sampaoli said. "We all know what he can bring to this team. He wasn't able to control what happened on his afternoon off, but that's an internal issue."
PA Sport reported that Vidal pleaded for forgiveness during an emotional press conference. He expressed regret that he placed his family and others at risk.
"It's hard to talk about it because I am very ashamed of what happened," Vidal said. "The only thing left for me to do is to apologize and take advantage of this opportunity (to remain in the team) that I've been given and counts for something."
Vidal added that his apologies go "to my wife, to my teammates, to the technical staff and to the whole country."
"I let everyone down," Vidal said. "I want to thank everyone that has stood by me at this time."
According to Liam Apicella of SportsMole, the Juventus midfielder played big roles in the opening win against Ecuador 2-0 and a 3-3 draw with Mexico. Given the uncertainty surrounding Vidal, the rest of the Chile team will have to step up.
"If his teammates can record a victory against Bolivia it will seal top spot, as will a draw, providing that Mexico do not beat Ecuador in the other group fixture by more than three goals," Apicella wrote.
As for Bolivia, Sacha Pisani of Goal reported that defender Edward Zenteno expressed confidence that his team can beat Chile for the top spot of Group A. Bolivia managed to beat Ecuador 3-2 in their most recent game.
"We want to finish first in the group, we know it will be tough," Zenteno said. "The aim is to do good things on Friday and go through as the best in the group."
Zenteno added that his team "will not lower our guard."
"We are mentally prepared to have a good performance in every game," Zenteno said. "The confidence is there."
As for predictions on who will win, Apicella thought the victory would go to the host nation of the Copa America tournament, Chile.
"The Bolivians will be full of confidence after the win over Ecuador, but Chile will pose a much sterner threat," Apicella wrote. "They should have too much for their opponents."
The game between Chile and Bolivia will be televised in English and Spanish on beIN Sports, and begins streaming online at 7:30 p.m. ET/4:30 p.m. PT Friday on beIN Sports Connect and on Fubo TV.
