Bayer Leverkusen vs. Manchester United: Prediction, Preview and Key Players

Wednesday's clash between Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester United promises to decide which of the two European giants finish atop Group A in this year's Champions League campaign.

As things stand, the Red Devils sit at the pool's summit on eight points, with Sami Hyypia's side just two points behind and Shakhtar Donetsk in third spot with five points of their own.

A win this week would guarantee the English outfit a place in this season's knockout stage. David Moyes' men will seek to reproduce the kind of performance that saw them through to a 4-2 victory at Old Trafford back in September.

Date: Wednesday, Nov. 27

Time: 7:45 p.m. GMT

Venue: BayArena, Leverkusen

Viewing Info: Sky Sports 2 (UK)

Form Guide

Oct. 23 - Shakhtar Donetsk (H)	Oct. 26 - Augsburg	Nov. 2 - Eintracht Braunchweig	Nov. 5 - Shakhtar Donetsk	Nov. 9 - Hamburg	Nov. 23 - Hertha Berlin
W (4-0)	W (2-1)	L (0-1)	D (0-0)	W (5-3)	W (1-0)

Currently second in the Bundesliga table thanks to Borussia Dortmund's loss to Bayern Munich over the weekend, Bayer Leverkusen have been a domestic force of late, winning four of their last six league outings.

The occasions where they've dropped points in those matches have come in near opposite fashion, as they managed to earn a point against leaders Bayern before suffering a loss to basement club Eintracht Braunschweig just four weeks later.

Sky Sports report that Sidney Sam is likely to miss out for Wednesday's hosts, Hyypia's only major concern ahead of the fixture.

Oct. 26 - Stoke City	Oct. 29 - Norwich City	Nov. 2 - Fulham	Nov. 5 - Real Sociedad	Nov. 10 - Arsenal	Nov. 24 - Cardiff City
W (3-2)	W (4-0)	W (3-1)	D (0-0)	W (1-0)	D (2-2)

Meanwhile, United will be angered by their 2-2 draw with Cardiff City over the weekend. It's certainly something that could ultimately work in the club's favour, though, by serving as something of a wake-up call for David Moyes' men.

With that being said, the Premier League champions remain unbeaten in their last 10 matches, and showed in the 1-0 win over Arsenal a fortnight ago what fine levels of performance they are capable of.

Bayer Leverkusen Key Player: Simon Rolfes

With Michael Carrick injured and Marouane Fellaini unavailable for this week's fixture through suspension, the responsibility will be with Leverkusen to dictate the middle of the park.

Simon Rolfes' biggest contribution at Old Trafford two weeks ago may have been the second-half equaliser that originally pulled his side level, but the 31-year-old's input was one of the more impressive among his own team.

Again, it will be Rolfes' job to act as anchor between midfield and attack. If the creative link-up between United's midfield can be disrupted enough so that the home side can assert some forward-thinking pressure of their own, it will be a much more fruitful outing.

Manchester United Key Player: Wayne Rooney

Just as he did against Cardiff over the weekend, Wayne Rooney is likely to once again be handed the duty of leading Manchester United's attacking movements as he so often does.

As things stand, it's uncertain as to whether or not Robin van Persie will play a part in Wednesday's meeting, putting some uncertainty over just where Rooney will line up himself.

Whether it's up front or as a more supplementary figure, Rooney will once again be expected to make the most difference up top, considering he's the club's most reliable and fully fit forward.

Last time out against Leverkusen, the Englishman managed to score twice and assist another against his German oppressors. However, there's a good chance the difficulty of that task will be multiplied somewhat this time around, depending on player availability.