The 10 players set to miss Sheffield United v Middlesbrough ft 7-assist winger | OneFootball

Football League World takes a look at the 10 players who are set to miss out on the action when Sheffield United host Middlesbrough

Sheffield United host Middlesbrough at Bramall Lane on Wednesday night for a clash which pits an automatic promotion challenger up against a member of the play-off chasing pack.

The Blades will be looking to gain ground on fellow top-two hopefuls Leeds United, Sunderland and Burnley, while Boro will be looking to capitalise on the fact that play-off rivals West Bromwich Albion and Blackburn Rovers are facing each other on Wednesday.

Ahead of a big match in South Yorkshire, Football League World takes a look at the nine players who are set to miss out on the action, starting with the hosts.

Ollie Arblaster

Blades midfield ace Ollie Arblaster will miss out on the action once more, after suffering a season-ending knee injury during last November's Steel City Derby win over Sheffield Wednesday.

The United academy graduate is likely to miss the remainder of the campaign in what is a huge loss for Chris Wilder.

Jamie Shackleton

Jamie Shackleton is currently suffering from a foot injury, and has not featured since a 2-0 victory over Plymouth Argyle back in December, when he appeared as a second half substitute.

With Harry Clarke arriving from Ipswich Town in January, it's hard to see Shackleton getting many starts when he's back fit.

Kieffer Moore

Blades striker Kieffer Moore recently travelled to Germany for a hernia operation, and has not made a Championship appearance since his side's 2-1 defeat to Sunderland on New Year's Day.

Moore hasn't been as prolific as perhaps many expected in an attacking side like United's, and with Tom Cannon arriving in January, his game-time could be reduced when he is fit.

An update from boss Chris Wilder also revealed that midfielder Tom Davies was in contention to appear in United's recent clashes with Derby County and Portsmouth.

However, the former Everton man missed out on selection for both of those victories, and could still be a doubt for the Blades' encounter with Middlesbrough, although that is not a definite guarantee.

Meanwhile, Boro have seven players who are set to miss out on Wednesday night's visit to Bramall Lane:

Sol Brynn

Goalkeeper Sol Brynn is currently enduring a three-month spell on the sidelines, after dislocating his shoulder during a 3-3 draw with Wednesday on Boxing Day.

That prompted Michael Carrick to look for reinforcements in-between the sticks in January, promptly landing Bournemotuh stopper Mark Travers on loan.

Seny Dieng

Fellow Middlesbrough keeper Seny Dieng is currently facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines, after requiring an operation on his achilles, as reported last month.

The Senegal international is likely to be sidelined for the remainder of the season, leaving Travers as the undisputed number one choice for Carrick.

Darragh Lenihan

Defender Darragh Lenihan has not appeared in a competitive game for Boro since September 2023, due to a series of injuries, and most recently encountered an achilles issue.

Carrick hopes that the ex-Blackburn man is back before the end of the season, but that is not a guarantee by any stretch of the imagination.

Anfernee Dijksteel

Boro boss Michael Carrick has revealed that Suriname international Anfernee Dijksteel will likely miss out on his side's trip to face the Blades.

"He’s (Dijskteel) back training with us," Carrick said.

"It was his first real session today (Tuesday), so the game tomorrow is probably going to come too soon for him.

"But he was back training with the group for the first time, so that’s positive."

Ben Doak

Ben Doak's last Championship outing came on January 25, when his side suffered a 2-1 defeat at Preston North End, and Carrick has revealed that the 7-assist winger's spell on the sidelines is set to continue.

The Boro boss informed Teesside Live: "Ben’s still got a few weeks to go.

"It’ll be a few more weeks until he’s back playing.

"He’s okay. It could have been a lot worse, and at one stage, it looked as if it might have been a lot worse in terms of the seriousness of the injury.

"Thankfully, it’s not, so we’re looking at a few weeks."

Jonny Howson

Veteran midfielder Jonny Howson has not made a Championship outing since scoring in December's dramatic 3-3 draw with Plymouth, and is still recovering from an injury setback.

Carrick added: "Jonny’s still going through his rehab too.

"We were hoping that he might have got back a little bit quicker at one stage, but that’s not really been the case.

"They can be funny things, calf injuries, and especially when you get to the stage he’s at in his career.

"It can be common for timeframes to shift. We’re going to be careful, but hopefully we can get him back pretty soon."

Alex Bangura

Alex Bangura is still yet to make an appearance for Boro this season, courtesy of an achilles issue which he required surgery on last summer.

Elsewhere, Riley McGree remains a doubt, having not featured since his side's FA Cup third round defeat to Blackburn last month, while Carrick revealed that he would continue to be absent for "weeks rather than days" ahead of his club's encounter with North East rivals Sunderland on February 3.