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Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a important period for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "subpar".

Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the victory over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca commented the young striker will be slowly integrated "gradually", and the summer signing's return is vital for a side facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of securing honors this campaign.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite attention from Old Trafford club, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.

Yet the young English striker was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after joining from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "protected".

When queried about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the conditioning element is vital. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, particularly in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to score 20 goals each year. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a distinctive forward to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea deal with additional challenges apart from their forwards and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all season and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until December.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven outings and caused 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 a single assist - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last season, is still to score this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but earlier scored only once in the initial ten fixtures.

After 13 matches in various cups no attacker has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.

Asked whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Definitely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the offense, we need numerous strikes from each, in the manner we achieved last season."

Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this campaign.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea followers feel the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been vacant since 2023, and players who donned it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances

A midfielder and defensive specialist are among those listed, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.

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

"Ultimately it's a number on the back of your uniform. It's just a number that has traditionally been associated to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no added burden."