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

The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his team's delivery being "subpar".

Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.

Maresca said the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "gradually", and the new recruit's return is crucial for a team facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of winning a trophy this season.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite interest from Manchester United, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three goal contributions in his first four Premier League games after joining from Brighton.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".

When queried about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca said: "Definitely the conditioning element is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, especially in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to score 20 goals annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and give assists but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line

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

Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all term and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until December.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has zero strikes and one assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and one setup - paralleling academy forward Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from full-back last term, is still to score this term. Winger Pedro Neto has one score and two setups in his last two games, but earlier got only one goal in the opening ten matches.

After 13 matches in all competitions no attacker has over two strikes, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.

Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the five players at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last term."

Maresca has found ways to be competitive despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In addition, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the top flight this campaign.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea fans believe the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is cursed. It had been vacant since 2023, and players who wore it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances

A midfielder and defender are included in this group, and some would suggest Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unfazed when asked about the curse. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the Club World Cup.

"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a figure that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I like and there's no pressure."