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Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.

The West London club were beaten 2-1 against shock contenders Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "subpar".

Chelsea's attackers are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in last month.

Maresca stated the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "slowly", and the new recruit's availability is crucial for a team facing criticism over their inconsistency, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of securing honors this term.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite attention from Old Trafford club, the Magpies and Everton.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this global competition - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three assists in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca said he is one of three players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".

When queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "For sure the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not at peak condition it's challenging to excel, notably in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to score 20 goals each year. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to find the net and give assists but he's a different kind of nine to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or the City striker."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea deal with broader problems apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.

Forward Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is not expected return from a groin injury until next month.

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

Estevao Willian, 18, has entertained since moving from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has merely two scores and one setup - matching academy forward Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last term, is without a goal this season. Winger Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his last two games, but prior to that scored only once in the opening ten matches.

After 13 matches in all competitions no forward has above two scores, with midfielders Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four.

Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last term."

Maresca has discovered methods to challenge despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are runner-up in set-piece goals in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the first team to have ten various goalscorers in the first division this campaign.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea supporters feel the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. 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 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 appearances
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 appearances

A engine room operator and defender are part of this selection, and some would argue Abraham broke the curse with his achievement, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.

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

"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a number that has historically been connected to forwards so it's something that I enjoy and there's no pressure."