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Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca citing "limited inventiveness" and his side's crossing being "subpar".

Chelsea's forwards are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.

Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be phased in "carefully", and the new recruit's return is crucial for a side facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of securing honors this season.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite pursuit by Manchester United, St James' Park side and the Toffees.

Yet the young English striker was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this recent international tournament - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Brazil striker scored another two and three setups in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.

More of late, 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 presently require to be "shielded".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "Certainly the conditioning element is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, particularly in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to score 20 goals annually. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or [Erling] Haaland."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea deal with additional challenges in addition to their forwards and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Forward Cole Palmer has played two full matches all season and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until next month.

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

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has entertained since moving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and one assist - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Forward Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last campaign, is without a goal this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his past two matches, but earlier got only one goal in the opening ten matches.

After thirteen fixtures in all competitions no attacker has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.

Queried whether a lack of natural goalscorers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the manner we achieved last campaign."

Maresca has found ways to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second for set-piece goals in the top flight, one behind 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 followers believe the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been available since last year, and players who sported it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances

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

But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the curse. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.

"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."