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Forward Liam Delap is returning from a muscle issue at a time of need for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit lost 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "not the best".

Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since suffering the setback in the success over Fulham in August.

Maresca said the young striker will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the recent acquisition's comeback is important for a club facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their most realistic chance of securing honors this term.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite attention from Old Trafford club, the Magpies and the Toffees.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55m signing Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Seleção attacker notched additional strikes and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after joining from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his last seven games. Maresca said he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the physical part is vital. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, notably in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to reach twenty strikes each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea confront additional challenges apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.

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

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and one assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has just two strikes and a single assist - equaling youth product Tyrique George.

Striker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from left-back last season, is yet to find the net this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but earlier found the net just once in the opening ten matches.

After thirteen fixtures in every tournament no striker has above two scores, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four goals.

Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the front five at the offense, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last term."

Maresca has found ways to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second place for set-piece goals in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this season.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea followers believe the striker's jersey - claimed by Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since 2023, and squad members who wore it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 appearances
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in twelve matches
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances

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

But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the jinx. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the global competition.

"At the end of the day it's a number on the back of your kit. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I like and there's no pressure."