Sunderland midfielder Sebastian Larsson returns to the squad after suspension.
Defender Titus Bramble continues to work on his fitness after shaking off a knee problem following his return from a club ban and striker Fraizer Campbell (knee ligaments) is on course to play a game of some form within the next fortnight.
Connor Wickham (also knee ligaments) could start running next week, but keepers Simon Mignolet (fractured nose and eye socket) and Craig Gordon (knee) remain on the sidelines.
Wigan midfielder James McCarthy is a doubt for the trip.
McCarthy has suffered a groin problem and will be assessed ahead of the match, along with striker Franco Di Santo, who missed the 3-3 draw with Blackburn last weekend after suffering a minor tear in his quad.
Fellow frontman Hugo Rodallega only featured as a substitute against Rovers having had a virus and could return to the starting line-up, while defender Antolin Alcaraz is unavailable again as he will be serving the second game of his three-match ban for spitting at Wolves' Richard Stearman during the Latics' defeat at Molineux on November 6.
Sunderland (from): Westwood, Carson, Brown, Bardsley, Richardson, Turner, Laing, Cattermole, Gardner, Vaughan, Larsson, Colback, Elmohamady, Meyler, Sessegnon, Bendtner, Ji, McClean, Cook, Egan, R. Noble.
Wigan (from): Al Habsi, Boyce, Caldwell, Figueroa, Watson, Diame, Moses, Gomez, McCarthy, Di Santo, Jones, Stam, Van Aanholt, McArthur, Lopez, Thomas, Sammon, Maloney, Crusat, Gohouri, Rodallega, McCarthy, Pollitt.
