The 2015 Copa America kicked off in Chile on 11th June and while there is still plenty of time before the final on 4th July, we can safely say that this could prove to be one of the most exciting tournaments on South American soil in recent years. With the likes of Brazil and Argentina hoping to make amends for missing out on the 2014 World Cup trophy and hosts Chile and star-studded Colombia desperate to prove they can mix it up with the best of them, we are in for a couple of eventful weeks.

Chilean Star Arrested for Drunk Driving

Juventus star Arturo Vidal made the headlines for both the right and wrong reasons during the opening week of the tournament, scoring three goals in the first two matches before crashing his Ferrari and getting arrested for drunk driving on his day off. The highly rated midfielder spent the night in jail, but was released the following morning, and Chile boss Jorge Sampaoli has all but suggested that Vidal will be in the starting line-up when La Roja face Bolivia after the midfielder apologized for his actions at a press conference.

Argentina Drew in Their Opening Game

Following the promising performance at the 2014 World Cup, when they narrowly missed out on the coveted trophy, Argentina arrived in Chile as the number one favourites. La Albiceleste kicked off their Copa America campaign by facing out-of-sorts Paraguay and everything looked to be according to plan when Tata Martino’s side created a two-goal lead thanks to Leo Messi and Kun Aguero. However, Argentina switched off in the second period, allowing the opposition to score two goals and deny them a win in their opening fixture.

Bolivia Upset Ecuador

Having ended the 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign level on points with bottom-placed Paraguay, Bolivia were widely tipped to finish bottom in Group A. Nevertheless, El Verde first held Mexico to a goalless draw, before producing one of the biggest upsets at the tournament so far by defeating Ecuador 3-2. The stunning performance in the first period saw Bolivia create a three-goal lead and they eventually recorded a win that all but secured them a place in the quarter-finals.

Our Favorite Gambling Picks

The strange competition format at the Copa America makes it quite difficult to predict which teams will face each other in the knockout stages, but there is one pick that looks to offer a very good value at the moment. All those who like to gamble online should consider backing Colombia to win Group C at 7/4 (William Hill) and here is why. While Venezuela tops the group at the moment, they will be facing star-studded Brazil in the final fixture, and the Selecao can be trusted to win the game even with Neymar missing. Meanwhile, buoyed by the excellent triumph over Brazil, Colombia should have enough in them to record a comfortable win over weak Peru and that is likely to prove enough for the first place.