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Striker Liam Delap is returning from a thigh problem at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

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

Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in last month.

Maresca commented the young striker will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the summer signing's return is important for a team facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of winning a trophy this term.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for £30m despite interest from Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and Everton.

Yet the young English striker was below £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Seleção attacker scored another two and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after joining from Brighton.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "protected".

When queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca commented: "For sure the physical part is important. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, notably in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times annually. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to score and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea deal with broader problems in addition to their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought.

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

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and a single assist - equaling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last campaign, is still to score this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his past two matches, but before that 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 lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last term."

Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second for free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this season.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea fans believe the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the summer - is hexed. It had been available since 2023, and players who wore it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches

A engine room operator and defender are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his performance, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the curse. "I don't believe [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 shirt. It's just a digit that has always been related to forwards so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."