Central defensive pair Anel Ahmedhodzic and Harry Souttar will both sit out the trip to The Hawthorns due to suspension, leaving boss Chris Wilder short on natural senior options to call upon.
Bosnia and Herzegovina international Ahmedhodzic will serve the final of his three-match suspension for a straight red card for violent conduct in the first half of his side's 2-2 draw at Coventry last month.
That draw is the only time Wilder's side have been denied victory in their last seven fixtures.
As a further blow to the visitors' rearguard, the Blades will also travel without Australia international Souttar, who will serve a one-match ban.
Souttar, who is on a season-long loan from Premier League Leicester, was dismissed for two bookable offences during last week's 1-0 victory over Sunderland.
The bans leave Wilder, in his second spell in charge at Bramall Lane, with a head-scratcher as he ponders his defensive line-up to face [Albion](https://www.expressandstar.com/sport/football/west-bromwich-albion/).
The Blades boss turned to young right-back Femi Seriki, 21, as a half-time substitute against the Black Cats after Souttar had been sent off moments before the interval. Seriki went in on the right side of defence and Adam Gilchrist, the Chelsea loan prospect, slotted into the middle alongside club captain Jack Robinson.
Another option is Wales international Rhys Norrington-Davies, typically a left-back, into the heart of the backline.
The availability struggles will come as a boost to Carlos Corberan's hosts, who are looking for a first home victory in six games after a run of four successive Hawthorns draws.
But the visitors are in imperious form and head into the weekend's fixtures - beginning with Burnley v Middlesbrough on Friday night - top of the pile despite a two-point deduction to start the season.