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Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on recently, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "below standard".

Chelsea's attackers are finding it hard to score and goal contributions as Delap returns in the League Cup against struggling Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having been absent for 10 matches since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in August.

Maresca stated the 22-year-old will be slowly integrated "gradually", and the new recruit's availability is crucial for a team facing scrutiny over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of securing honors this season.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite attention from Manchester United, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the United States. The Brazilian forward scored another two and three goal contributions in his first four Premier League games after joining from Brighton.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "protected".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "Certainly the conditioning element is vital. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, especially in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the City striker."

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea confront wider issues apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Forward Cole Palmer has played two full matches all term and is not expected return from a groin injury until next month.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has shown promise since moving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has merely two scores and one setup - matching academy forward Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from defensive position last term, is without a goal this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that got only one goal in the first 10 games.

After 13 matches in various cups no attacker has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.

Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the front five at the front, we need numerous strikes from 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 English top division, one less than Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have 10 different scorers in the first division this campaign.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea fans feel the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since 2023, and footballers who donned it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances

A midfielder and backline player are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled 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.

"At the end of the day it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."