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Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with head coach Enzo Maresca citing "limited inventiveness" and his side's crossing being "not the best".

Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and assists as Delap is back available in the League Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having missed 10 games since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca stated the 22-year-old will be phased in "slowly", and the recent acquisition's availability is vital for a team facing criticism over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this term.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Manchester United, Newcastle United and the Toffees.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the United States. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca revealed he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".

When queried about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca commented: "For sure the conditioning element is important. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, especially in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to score and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the City striker."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense

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

Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all term and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until the winter.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has failed to score and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has entertained since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has only two goals and one setup - paralleling youth product Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last term, is without a goal this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two setups in his past two matches, but prior to that scored only once in the initial ten fixtures.

After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no attacker has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.

Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the front five at the attack, we need numerous strikes from each, in the fashion we managed last term."

Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this season.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea supporters feel the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been vacant since 2023, and footballers who donned it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in twelve matches
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances

A engine room operator and backline player are among those listed, and some would suggest Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with nine on their back.

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

"In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your kit. It's just a number that has always been related to attackers so it's something that I like and there's zero expectation."