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

The Blues suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "below standard".

Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the success over Fulham in August.

Maresca said the young striker will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the new recruit's return is important for a team facing scrutiny over their inconsistency, which has left the cup competitions their most realistic chance of claiming silverware this term.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite interest from Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and Goodison Park team.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the United States. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three setups in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his past seven matches. Maresca stated 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 decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "For sure the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, notably in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the French superstar or the Norwegian goal machine."

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea face additional challenges beyond their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.

Winger Cole Palmer has played two full matches all term and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until the winter.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and a single assist - equaling youth product Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from left-back last term, is without a goal this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but earlier found the net just once in the opening ten matches.

After thirteen fixtures in various cups no attacker has above two scores, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.

Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the front five at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last term."

Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the top flight, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this season.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea fans believe the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been vacant since recently, and players who sported it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 appearances
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches

A central player and backline player are part of this selection, and some would argue Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the number nine.

But Delap was unmoved when queried about the curse. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.

"At the end of the day it's a figure on the jersey of your shirt. It's just a digit that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."