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Striker Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "a lack of creativity" and his side's crossing being "below standard".

Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and goal contributions as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (prime time), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the victory over Fulham in August.

Maresca stated the 22-year-old will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the new recruit's availability is important for a side facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their most realistic chance of winning a trophy this term.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Manchester United, the Magpies and Goodison Park team.

Yet the young English striker was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the United States. The Seleção attacker scored another two and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after joining from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "protected".

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

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to score 20 goals each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense

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

Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is not expected return from a lower body issue until next month.

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and one goal contribution in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and one setup - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last campaign, is without a goal this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but prior to that scored only once in the first 10 games.

After thirteen games in every tournament no attacker has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four.

Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the front five at the attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last term."

Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in set-piece goals in the Premier League, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the Premier League this campaign.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea followers feel the center-forward number - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been available since recently, and squad members who sported it since the mid-2000s have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores 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 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances

A central player and backline player are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the hoodoo. "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 digit that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I appreciate and there's no added burden."