City haven't emerged victorious from the Stadium of Light since 2008 when Shaun Wright-Phillips scored a second-half brace on his return to the club. Roy Keane was in charge of the Black Cats which made the victory that little bit sweeter, but since then, the Blues have drawn once and lost four times on Wearside.
Pellegrini's men will be without Vincent Kompany (hamstring) and Eliaquim Mangala (suspension) as they look to extend their four-match unbeaten run in all competitions, and there have been suggestions that the absence of the £32m Frenchman could make that task a little more feasible.
I've assaulted Eliaquim Mangala with an army of hostile vocabulary since his inexplicable clanger against Hull City in September, but I have sympathy for the 23-year-old who took one for the team against Southampton on Sunday. Yaya Touré's complacency in possession forced the defender into an unfortunate position where he had to bring down Shane Long in order to prevent a goal. Contrary to reports, Kompany was no where near the Irishman, and a goal would have changed the course of the game. Mangala made the correct decision, and it paid off.
(Mangala was shown a second yellow card for his tackle on Shane Long last weekend)
Mangala is a young, relatively inexperienced defender who is a victim of his own enthusiasm. He often lunges into tackles and attempts to impose his strength (albeit too clumsily) on the opposition, but he is a dominant force in the air and is never afraid to put his body on the line for the team.
He reminds me of Vincent Kompany; a player who has also fallen victim to his impulsive nature in the past. Think back to his pull-back on Jelavic last season and his two footed challenge on Nani in the 3-2 loss to Manchester United in 2012 - both were huge games for City, and they were let down by their captain on both occasions. Since then, the Belgian has evolved into one of Europe's most competent defenders.
(Mangala has won 57% of his duels in the league so far this season, more than any other City defender - via @Squawka)
(Only Gaël Clichy averages more defensive actions per game than the 23-year-old - via @Squawka)
Mangala is very similar to Kompany in that he is a strong, physically intimidating, aerially dominant, speedy, but impulsive defender. However, the Frenchman is five years younger than his teammate, and experience alongside Kompany will erase the clumsiness from his game and help him reach his frightening potential.
Dedryck Boyata has no place in a team challenging for the Premier League title, and so Bacary Sagna and Martin Demichelis should feature at the heart of Pellegrini's defence on Wednesday night. The former Arsenal man has experience in the central position and gave one of his best performances for the Gunners whilst filling in for Laurent Koscielny in a 1-0 win over Sunderland in September 2013.
(Visit this link to see Sagna talking about his future as a central defender in 2013 - http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/sagna-i-see-my-future-in-the-centre)
Sunderland may have achieved an admirable draw against league leaders Chelsea on Sunday afternoon, but I don't expect City to go easy on Poyet's side despite their huge favour. Ultimately, Sunderland are a poor side, a side that conceded eight goals against Southampton, and a side we should beat. The run has to end.
Predicted line-up
Prediction
0-2
