The 23-year-old Denmark international has enjoyed an impressive opening to his season-long loan spell at the Stadium of Light from Arsenal, but has managed just two goals in eight starts to date.
Bendtner this week refused to rule out a permanent move to Wearside, but Bruce, while delighted with his contribution so far, is keen to see the striker start thinking more about himself than the team.
He said: "He's such a good footballer. His link-up play is excellent and he drifts into wide areas terrifically well. He is very comfortable. "But he needs to be a bit more selfish and go and play for himself. "Goalscorers are usually selfish. They are not bothered, they just want to score a goal and that's all they are interested in.
"Strikers are judged by goals. You can be a good player, a very good player, but you are judged by goals, so we have got to try to change Nick's mentality slightly to get him into that and score more goals. "Nick has got to try to get that mentality if he can. "He is very, very capable - he has got five in five for his country - so we need him to go and score a few for us if he can."
Bruce's desperation is understandable with the Black Cats having scored just 14 Barclays Premier League goals to date this season, a return which has helped leave them in 15th place ahead of the clash against the Latics. They sit just two points clear of the drop zone and alarmingly, have won only two of their last 14 league games on Wearside with the Latics one of their victims in April.
However, Bruce laughed off suggestions that the meeting with his former club could represent a pivotal point in his reign. He said: "Listen, it's a big game, it's a big game, but I have played in big games, I have managed big games. "If we win it, we go into the top 10, probably, and what's all the fuss about? If we lose it - I don't contemplate that. I know we are capable of winning it, but it won't be easy.
"We must have a bit of patience, a bit of bottle and a bit of guile and win the match. It's as simple as that. "I am not even going to contemplate that we are relegation contenders. In my opinion, we have never been close to it for the past two years.
"We finished 13th in our first year and 10th last year. I am always looking up."
Midfielder Sebastian Larsson returns to the squad following a 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 manager Roberto Martinez is happy for chairman Dave Whelan to pass control of the club on to his grandson if the 75-year-old feels it is the right thing to do.
Whelan, who bought the Latics in 1995, said earlier this week he was considering letting his 21-year-old grandson David take over the reins at the DW Stadium. Martinez is confident any decision Whelan makes will be in Wigan's best interests.
Martinez said: "What I can guarantee you is that Wigan Athletic is in his heart and whatever he will decide or do, it will be for the good of the football club. "I've got no doubts or any worries that we can rely on our chairman. Whatever he decides will be the best for our future." Midfielder James 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 defeat at Molineux on November 6.
Sunderland V Wigan - view commentary, squad, and statictics of the game live.
Source: DSG
