With Nigeria international Obafemi Martins due to head off on African Nations Cup duty for up to six weeks after the Premier League clash with City at St James' Park on January 2, Sam is hoping Michael Owen stays at the club to ease one headache.
Allardyce started the season with a quartet of experienced strikers in Owen, Martins, summer signing Mark Viduka and Shola Ameobi, although injuries to the England man and the Australian have limited options.
However, Martins' impending departure and Viduka's international commitments mean any bid for Owen could leave Allardyce in a difficult position with Middlesbrough and Glenn Roeder's Norwich both keeping tabs on Ameobi.
Martins took his tally for the season to seven with a penalty in Saturday's 2-1 win over Birmingham, while Owen has three goals to his name but has managed only 11 appearances to date.
Indeed, the club's record signing has made only 21 starts since his arrival at St James' in August 2005, and Allardyce will be desperate for him to put together an uninterrupted run as the season enters its second half.
The manager has identified the areas in which he hopes to strengthen next month, although to just what extent owner Mike Ashley is prepared to back him financially remains to be seen.
But what is clear is that the African Nations Cup will leave a major dent in his resources with Martins by no means the only man who could miss a significant proportion of the season.
Geremi, Habib Beye and Abdoulaye Faye will also be away representing Cameroon and Senegal, robbing the manager of three of his summer acquisitions.
Allardyce: "Of course it is causing me concern. We all know what Martins, Geremi and Faye are capable of, and now Beye has started to play and is showing why we brought him here."