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

The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "below standard".

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against lowly Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the victory over Fulham in last month.

Maresca stated the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the new recruit's comeback is vital for a side facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of securing honors this campaign.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite interest from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and the Toffees.

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

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Brazil striker scored another two and three setups in his first four Premier League games after joining from Brighton.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "shielded".

When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "For sure the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, particularly in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea face wider issues in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.

Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is not expected return from a groin problem until December.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has zero strikes and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has only two goals and one setup - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from defensive position last term, is still to score this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his last two games, but earlier got only one goal in the first 10 games.

After thirteen games in every tournament no forward has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.

Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the offense, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last term."

Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this campaign.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea followers think the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is jinxed. It had been available since recently, and squad members who wore it since 2006 have had goal droughts, 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) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in twelve matches
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances

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

But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the global competition.

"At the end of the day it's a figure on the jersey of your kit. It's just a digit that has always been related to forwards so it's something that I like and there's no pressure."