Bayer Leverkusen vs. Manchester United: Players Who Must Step Up in UCL Clash

While every Champions League match is important, the upcoming battle between Bayer Leverkusen and Manchester United gains a little more drama with a bid to the knockout stage on the line.

United enter Matchday 5 in first place of Group A, and a victory would clinch a spot in the Round of 16.

However, any other result could create a winner-take-all scenario against Shakhtar Donetsk, which is a situation they will want to avoid.

Meanwhile, Leverkusen would move to the top of the group with a win and also secure a place in the next round. 

With so much on the line, this upcoming match will be extremely competitive. The winner will be the one that can get the most production from these key players.

Javier Hernandez, Manchester United

Manchester United will have to deal with a few notable injuries heading into the match as Robin van Persie and Nemanja Vidic have been ruled out, according to Richard Jolly of ESPN. 

Both of these are big losses, but the biggest question mark is who will step up on the attack.

Obviously, Wayne Rooney will continue to have a big role, but the squad needs Javier Hernandez to come through at striker.

Chicharito has played in three Champions League matches this year and has not tallied either a goal or an assist. In fact, he has only taken one shot in those appearances and the squad did very little when he was on the pitch.

While he still has a lot of skill around the net, he has to find a way to be more involved in the action throughout the match. Otherwise, his inability to provide adequate cover for van Persie gives little reason for him to even be on the roster going forward.

Rio Ferdinand, Manchester United

On a team that has had an up-and-down year, the last person that should cause concern is 35-year-old veteran Rio Ferdinand. Unfortunately, the defender has been as inconsistent as the club he leads.

Not only has he lost a step, but there appear to be lapses in concentration that lead to goals on the defensive end.

With Vidic not playing, this puts even more pressure on Ferdinand in the middle of the defense. He has to be the leader to make sure nothing goes wrong that could lead to a goal and change the match.

United allowed two poor goals the last time these squads met, so the entire back line will need to be completely focused this time around.

Heung-Min Son, Bayer Leverkusen

Similar to Hernandez, Heung-Min Son will see his role increased in upcoming games due to an injury. This is because fellow forward Sidney Sam will be out with a thigh injury, according to Mark Rodden of ESPN.

While Stefan Kiessling has been the squad's best scorer all season with eight goals in 12 league starts, Sam was right behind him with seven goals in the same amount of time.

Kiessling will not be able to do it all himself, which leaves Son to take over the role.

The good news is that the 21-year-old has played well beyond his age in his first year with the club. He has four goals and two assists in nine league starts, plus two more assists in UCL play.

If he can continue to improve at this rate, Leverkusen will not be missing anything without Sam. 

Bernd Leno, Bayer Leverkusen

While the young goalkeeper has been generally impressive all season, Bernd Leno can still be inconsistent.

He had an excellent nine-save performance against Bayern Munich earlier in the year, but he allowed three goals in a recent match against Hamburg.

The good news is that he has two clean sheets in a row in Champions League action, but once again he allowed four goals against Manchester United in their first matchup.

Leno has to find a way to stay more consistent in his approach and stay focused at all times throughout the match.

Even without van Persie, United have plenty of stars capable of testing the keeper from various distances.

If he is not ready for this one, he will fail to give his side a chance of winning.

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