5 key players for Chile at the Copa America

Chile will be hosting the Copa America and will be looking to win the title on home soil

Hosting the Copa America for the first time in over two decades, Chile will be hoping that home support can help them clinch their maiden international trophy. This is perhaps the first time that Chile that have had a squad capable of winning a tournament and in Jorge Sampaoli, they have a manager who knows how to adapt to different situations and get the best out of the players.

With a fanatic home crowd behind them, a squad packed with stars throughout the side and a manager who knows how to win, Chile are undeniably favourites. So who are their main men? Who needs to shine for them to have a chance of winning the tournament?

Here are the 5 key players for Chile at the Copa America 2015:

5. Charles Aranguiz

Aranguiz shot into limelight after an impressive performance in the World Cup

While all the pre-tournament talk about Chile's midfield has been about Arturo Vidal, it is another midfielder, who will play an important role if La Roja are to clinch their maiden international trophy on home soil. Midfielder Charles Aranguiz, who had a highly successful spell under manager Jorge Sampaoli at Universidad de Chile is now a regular fixture in the side after an impressive World Cup in Brazil where he caught the eye of plenty of European clubs.

The 26-year-old has been a match made in heaven for Sampaoli's high energy, high-pressing approach which has yielded so many great performances since he took over in 2012. His combination with Vidal makes an imposing engine room in the centre of the park and allows for flexibility as well. Positionally aware, precise with his passing and a willing forward-runner when in possession, Aranguiz has become an integral part of this Chile side, and one which must function perfectly, if La Roja are to win the title.

4. Gary Medel

The Pitbull is the tough tackling, no nonsense defender that every side needs

Despite not having the greatest of seasons with Inter Milan, Gary Medel will come into the tournament as one of South America's finest defenders. The 27-year-old former Cardiff City man is one of Chile's pillars in the centre of defence and along with Gonzalo Jara are the two most important defenders, who will need to have a good tournament if the hosts are to claim the Copa America.

The 27-year-old, nicknamed the Pitbull, is the tough tackling, no nonsense defender that every side needs. While not always the most conventional when it comes to clearances or blocks, Medel gets the job done and that is what is important. With Chile's attack struggling to find the net recently, the onus will be on the defence to keep things tight and as the leader of the defence, it will be Medel's responsibility to make sure that La Roja keep enough clean sheets to win the title.

3. Claudio Bravo

Chile’s captain Claudio Bravo will need to have a good tournament for the hosts to win

When you need to win a tournament, a lot of things need to go your way. You need a little bit of luck, you need your forwards to score goals, you need a tight defence, but more than anything else, you need a goalkeeper who can keep you in the game when all else fails. You need a keeper who can command his box and make finger-tip saves and Claudio Bravo is just that keeper.

Fresh from winning the Ricardo Zamora trophy, awarded to the La Liga keeper with the lowest goals-against average, keeping 23 clean sheets (a Barcelona record) and also winning the treble, Bravo comes into the tournament in the form of his life.

Chile's captain and record cap holder is a quiet and unassuming character, who is almost shunned to the sidelines with the likes of Vidal and Sanchez in the side. But coach Sampaoli understands his importance and it is Bravo who will need to have a good tournament for Chile to win, especially since the attack has almost forgotten how to score goals.

2. Arturo Vidal

Arturo Vidal will be expected to chip in with the goals to help the forwards

Despite losing the UEFA Champions League final, Arturo Vidal comes into the Copa America on a high, thanks to Juventus' League and cup double. After a serious injury that threatened to ruin his career last season, Vidal has slowly but surely got both his fitness and form back over the course of the last campaign.

It was also the season that saw him play further forward, at times almost as an attacking midfielder with the Turin club.

When it comes to goals, Chile are heavily reliant on Sanchez and Eduardo Vargas and with the latter coming off the back of a stop-start season with QPR, the onus will rest on Vidal to join in the attack and contribute a lot more.

Despite making more than 60 appearances for Chile, a paltry tally of nine goals doesn't make for great reading for a box-to-box midfielder and that is something the 28-year-old will be hoping to add to over the course of the tournament.

1. Alexis Sanchez

Alexis Sanchez comes on the back of a brilliant campaign with Arsenal

Moving to a different club in a country with a completely contrasting style of play isn't easy. Even some of the finest attackers have struggled to cope with the rigors of the Premier League straight away.

But Alexis Sanchez proved that if you have what it takes, then you can succeed anywhere straightaway. His debut season with Arsenal finished with him scoring in the FA Cup final and ending up with his career-best tally of goals.

Chile will be hoping that he can carry that form into the Copa America, which the country is hoping to win for the first time. Not only is he the top scorer in the current Chile squad, he is also the man likely to make the difference in tight games, where chances are few and far between.

Playing as one of the two strikers up front, Sanchez will have a lot more opportunities to score and his pace, trickery and ability to beat defenders and not give them an inch will be crucial if La Roja are to lift their maiden international tournament.