A pool devoid of big teams is set to be highly competitive, while Germany and The Netherlands are overwhelming favourites to top their groups.Group D (USA, Turkiye, Australia, Paraguay)The USA team is chasing the American dream. Competing on home soil in the global competition for the first time since 1994, the national side, now led by Mauricio Pochettino, is locked in to Make America Great Again in ‘soccer’.The World No. 16’s first task will be to get out of a tricky pool that consists of two other top-30 teams but none of the perennial powerhouses — Turkiye at 22 and Australia at 27.The close win over Senegal and narrow defeat to Germany in World Cup warm-up games should have given Pochettino a fair idea of where the finishing touches to the preparation have to be applied.Playing in front of jam-packed galleries could be both a boon and a bane. While stars like Christian Pulisic, who is no stranger to elite football, can live up to the heightened expectations, some may wilt under the enormity of the situation. How they tackle battles not only on the field but also off it will be crucial to USA’s chances.For Turkiye and Australia, the focus will be much beyond spoiling the co-host’s carnival.Having earned the right to perform on the global stage after 24 years, the European outfit cannot afford to pass up the golden opportunity.The wait has been so long that Arda Guler and Kenan Yildiz, two of the most exciting prospects in the current squad, were not even born when Turkiye last caught the World Cup fever. Something close to the fairytale run of 2002 — which ended in a third-place finish — will be required if Vincenzo Montella’s contingent is to make inroads.Australia, a regular at the finals since 2006, is no pushover but is yet to win a knockout fixture. Meanwhile, Paraguay, the lowest-placed team in the group at World No. 40, will be itching to prove that rankings do not directly translate to results.Best finish: USA: Semifinals (1930); Turkiye: Third place (2002); Australia: Round of 16 (2006, 2022); Paraguay: Quarterfinals (2010).Group E (Germany, Curacao, Ivory Coast, Ecuador)Germany was forced to board the first available flight back home after being knocked out in the opening round of the last two editions. Ghosts from the past may resurface, especially for those who had endured the pain first-hand in Russia and/or Qatar, but the 2014 title-winner must avoid the ignominy of three early exits in a row without fuss.