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Striker Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.

The West London club suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on Saturday, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "subpar".

Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca commented the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the recent acquisition's return is crucial for a club facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of claiming silverware this campaign.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite interest from Old Trafford club, the Magpies and Everton.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "shielded".

When asked about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the fitness aspect is important. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, notably in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals each year like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea deal with additional challenges in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all term and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until December.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica.

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

Striker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from defensive position last season, is without a goal this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but earlier found the net just 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 joint top scorers with four goals.

Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the five players at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last term."

Maresca has found ways to compete despite offensive unpredictability. 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 pioneering side to have 10 different scorers in the first division this campaign.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea followers believe the center-forward number - claimed by Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been available since last year, and players who donned it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 appearances
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 appearances
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in twenty matches

A central player and backline player are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the curse. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the international tournament.

"Ultimately it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a figure that has always been related to attackers so it's something that I like and there's no added burden."