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

The West London club were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "below standard".

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap is back available in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca said the 22-year-old will be slowly integrated "gradually", and the recent acquisition's comeback is vital for a team facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of winning a trophy this term.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite attention from Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and Goodison Park team.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this recent international tournament - 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 Brazil striker notched additional strikes and three setups in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully".

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

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or [Erling] Haaland."

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea face additional challenges apart from their forwards and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all campaign and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until the winter.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, 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 induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores 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 full-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this term. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but before that scored only once in the initial ten fixtures.

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

Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the quintet of attackers at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the fashion we managed last campaign."

Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this term.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea followers think the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been vacant since recently, and footballers who donned 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) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
• 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): forty-five strikes in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances

A midfielder and defender are part of this selection, and some would suggest Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.

But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.

"In the final analysis it's a number on the back of your shirt. It's just a digit that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I enjoy and there's no pressure."