Nigel de Jong will miss Manchester City's encounter at Eastlands.
De Jong collected his fifth booking of the season at Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, so his midfield spot is likely to go to Vincent Kompany.
Although the Blues had lost just one Barclays Premier League match all season prior to the White Hart Lane reverse, they are now on a run of one win in 10 and will be desperate for a return to winning ways to ease the pressure on Mark Hughes.
Sunderland will be without skipper Lorik Cana for Saturday's Barclays Premier League trip to Manchester City.
The Albania international is suspended after being sent off for two bookable offences during Tuesday night's 2-0 home defeat by Aston Villa.
Manager Steve Bruce will make a late decision on whether to start with Lee Cattermole, who played the final 19 minutes of that match on his return from an eight-week lay-off with a medial ligament injury.
In addition, central defender Michael Turner will undergo a fitness test on the ankle he damaged in midweek.
Manchester City: Given, Taylor, Richards, Zabaleta, Toure, Lescott, Onuoha, Sylvinho, Garrido, Kompany, Ireland, Barry, Robinho, Petrov, Wright-Phillips, Adebayor, Tevez, Santa Cruz, Weiss, Benjani.
Sunderland: Fulop, Carson, Bardsley, Richardson, McCartney, Da Silva, Turner, Nosworthy, Mensah, Cattermole, Reid, Malbranque, Henderson, Campbell, Jones, Bent, Healy, Murphy, Meyler, Reed, Noble.
