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Striker Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their stadium on the weekend, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his side's crossing being "not the best".

Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in August.

Maresca stated the 22-year-old will be phased in "gradually", and the new recruit's comeback is important for a club facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their most realistic chance of winning a trophy this campaign.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite attention from Old Trafford club, the Magpies and Everton.

Yet the young English striker was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after joining from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "handled carefully".

When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca said: "Certainly the fitness aspect is important. When you are not 100% it's hard to perform, particularly in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to score and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland."

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea face broader problems in addition to their forwards and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Forward Cole Palmer has played two full matches all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until the winter.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since moving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one setup - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last season, is without a goal this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but earlier scored only once in the first 10 games.

After 13 matches in every tournament no attacker has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.

Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the quintet of attackers at the front, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last campaign."

Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In addition, the West London club are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this term.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea supporters think the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been available since last year, and footballers who wore it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 appearances
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in twenty matches

A engine room operator and backline player are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the number nine.

But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the international tournament.

"Ultimately it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I enjoy and there's no pressure."