Confederations Cup preview: The rundown on Group B

On paper, Germany and Chile should run away with the section. Can either Cameroon or Australia pull off an upset?

Related - Confederations Cup: Why each team will or won't win in Russia

Here's everything you need to know about Group B at the Confederations Cup.

Team guides

Cameroon

• Path to the tournament: 2017 AFCON champion
• Manager: Hugo Broos
• FIFA world ranking: 32nd
• Confederations Cup pedigree: Third appearance
• Star man: Vincent Aboubakar

The reigning AFCON champion will look to build on its unexpected continental victory with a solid showing against a pair of the world's best international sides. If anybody is going to spring a surprise in this competition, Cameroon feels like the best bet.

Chile

• Path to the tournament: 2015 Copa America champion
• Manager: Juan Antonio Pizzi
• FIFA world ranking: 4th
• Confederations Cup pedigree: First appearance
• Star man: Alexis Sanchez

Chile's high-octane brand of football will once again be thrilling to watch; Alexis Sanchez will be buzzing around, Arturo Vidal will be flying into tackles all over the place, and the full-backs will be bombing up and down the flanks. The only real concern for Juan Antonio Pizzi heading into the competition is the health of the Arsenal superstar, as Sanchez is nursing an ankle issue suffered in training on Thursday.

Australia

• Path to the tournament: 2015 AFC Asian Cup champion
• Manager: Ange Postecoglou
• FIFA world ranking: 48th
• Confederations Cup pedigree: Fourth appearance
• Star man: Tom Rogic

Plenty of attention will, as always, be on Tim Cahill. The 37-year-old striker is three caps shy of the century mark for his country, and with Australia in tough to make it out of the group, he'll likely need to feature in all three opening-round matches to reach that impressive milestone. For that to happen, though, the likes of Tom Rogic, Mathew Leckie, and Massimo Luongo will need to carry the load.

Germany

• Path to the tournament: 2014 World Cup champion
• Manager: Joachim Low
• FIFA world ranking: 3rd
• Confederations Cup pedigree: Third appearance
• Star man: Julian Draxler

Manager Joachim Low is using the Confederations Cup to give a collection of the country's most exciting young players an opportunity to shine. Stalwarts like Jerome Boateng, Mats Hummels, Toni Kroos, Sami Khedira, and Mesut Ozil have all been given the summer off. Instead, a youthful squad will take to the pitch in Russia - not that it's that much of a downgrade, given the vaunted German pipeline - with the likes of Niklas Sule, Joshua Kimmich, Amin Younes, and Timo Werner all looking to make an impact.

Related - Confederations Cup: Squad lists for every team

Group schedule

4 'other' players to watch

While each team has its collection of established stars, the real intrigue will be provided by those looking to establish themselves on the international stage - youngsters getting a crack with more noteworthy players being left at home, or those looking to reaffirm their status as key men for their national sides.

Related - Confederations Cup: 5 storylines to follow in Russia

Christian Bassogog (Cameroon)

The 21-year-old winger was one of the key performers in Cameroon's triumph at the Africa Cup of Nations, his performances in Gabon earlier this year earning him a high-priced move to Chinese side Henan Jianye. Bassogog, who is devastatingly quick, now has the chance to show that he can deliver against some of the world's elite international competition.

Eduardo Vargas (Chile)

Nobody better epitomizes the concept of being underwhelming at the club level but excellent on the international stage quite like Eduardo Vargas. The well-traveled attacker, 27, has failed to stick with a number of clubs throughout his career, but has been lethal whenever he pulls on La Roja's kit, banging in the goals at a rate of nearly one every two matches. If Alexis Sanchez's ankle problem is serious, Vargas will need to pick up the slack.

Aaron Mooy (Australia)

The catalyst of Huddersfield's sensational promotion to the Premier League, Aaron Mooy will need to run the show in a similar way for his national team if the Socceroos are to escape Group B. The cerebral midfielder, 26, was so impressive in the Championship last season that Huddersfield is reportedly set to break its (modest) bank to retain him; a £10-million deal with Manchester City is said to be all but complete.

Timo Werner (Germany)

Miroslav Klose is out of the picture, Mario Gomez has a very specific, somewhat limited set of skills, and Thomas Muller isn't a traditional striker. This is a massive opportunity for 21-year-old Timo Werner to establish himself as the first-choice forward for the reigning World Cup champion. Coming off a brilliant campaign in which he led RB Leipzig with 21 Bundesliga goals, Werner is one of the main men to watch in Russia.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)