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Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.

The West London club suffered a 2-1 defeat against unexpected challengers Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "below standard".

Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and assists as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against struggling Wolves on midweek (evening kickoff), having been absent for 10 matches since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca commented the young striker will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the recent acquisition's availability is vital for a club facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of securing honors this season.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite attention from the Red Devils, the Magpies and Everton.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to £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 appearances as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca revealed he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the fitness aspect is important. When you are not fully fit it's difficult to compete, especially in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to get goals and provide assists but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea confront additional challenges in addition to their forwards and Joao Pedro's drought.

Forward Cole Palmer has played two full matches 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 zero strikes and one assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one goal in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has impressed since moving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and one setup - paralleling academy forward Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two goal contributions in his past two matches, but prior to that found the net just once in the opening ten matches.

After thirteen games in all competitions no forward has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.

Queried whether a shortage of clinical finishers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the front five at the attack, we need numerous strikes from each, in the way we have done last season."

Maresca has developed approaches to compete despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in set-piece goals in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the first division this season.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea followers think the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since last year, and footballers who wore it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in 82 appearances
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores 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 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in twenty matches

A engine room operator and defensive specialist are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unmoved when asked about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he commented at the Club World Cup.

"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a figure that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I like and there's zero expectation."