Analysing Wayne Rooney's Greatest Obstacles Against Bayer Leverkusen

With a win against Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday, Manchester United can guarantee themselves a place in the knockout stages of this season's Champions League and move one step closer to the Round of 16.

As the Telegraph has confirmed over Twitter, Robin van Persie will not be available for the English visitors in Germany, meaning that Wayne Rooney will shoulder the brunt of his side's attacking burdens as their most senior attacking asset:

However, while the Red Devils may have won the reverse fixture 4-2, a tough outing awaits United at the BayArena, with Rooney the visiting club's most likely source of inspiration.

Ahead of the European clash, read on for a breakdown of those factors most likely to stop Rooney from pouncing.

Simon Rolfes

One of the Factory Squad's more impressive stars in the Old Trafford leg of this fixture, Simon Rolfes has been the most consistent part of Leverkusen's three-man midfield thus far in the 2013/14 campaign.

With Lars Bender and Stefan Reinartz both experiencing their fair share of minutes on the sidelines, Rolfes is most likely to be deployed as manager Sami Hyypia's anchor in the middle of the park, the man tasked with disrupting United's creative flow.

Depending on whether Rooney is fielded up front on his own or in a more withdrawn position, Rolfes will be the one dictating just how much (or how little) of the ball Rooney sees.

Should the German gain any upper hand in this encounter, it means Rooney will drop deeper and deeper to retrieve position for his side, leaving the attacking ranks undermanned and giving the home side their advantage. 

Manchester United's Midfield Medley

Something that's likely to have an effect on Rooney may not necessarily even be influenced by the opposition but instead come from within his own squad.

With Michael Carrick injured with an Achilles strain, United have already lost their most consistent central midfielder and upset the rhythm of the squad, but Marouane Fellaini's suspension simply takes away another engine room asset.

That would leave David Moyes with the likes of Ryan Giggs, Tom Cleverley and Anderson to play with in the middle of the park, the outcome likely to be a midfield pairing with which Rooney isn't as accustomed to playing.

Should United fail to get into their groove in Leverkusen, they risk being severely outclassed by what is an extremely talented squad assembled by Hyypia.

Omer Toprak

One man with whom Rooney will most certainly be coming into contact on Wednesday evening is Omer Toprak, who has emerged as the most consistent piece in Bayer Leverkusen's defence of late.

The Turkish international is the only central defender to have played in all four of his side's Champions League matches thus far and will be one of those forces pushing back against Rooney's probing.

At the set piece and from open play alike, someone will need to keep an eye on Rooney's movement, and Toprak's hulking figure will need to be the immovable object to the striker's unstoppable force.