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

The Blues were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "below standard".

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap returns in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca commented the emerging talent will be gradually introduced "gradually", and the recent acquisition's return is crucial for a side facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of securing honors this term.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from the Championship side for a £30 million fee despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and Goodison Park team.

Yet the young English striker was behind expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Seleção attacker added two more goals and three setups in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca revealed he is one of three squad members - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "shielded".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "Definitely the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, particularly in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to reach twenty strikes each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a distinctive forward to those who net 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the City striker."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea deal with additional challenges in addition to their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until December.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has no goals and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and a single assist - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from full-back last campaign, is without a goal this term. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his previous two fixtures, but before that scored only once in the opening ten matches.

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

Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca said: "Certainly, 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 season."

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

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea fans believe the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been available since 2023, and footballers who donned it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
• 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 seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 appearances

A midfielder and defender are part of this selection, and some would suggest Abraham broke the curse with his record, while famous attackers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the curse. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said at the international tournament.

"In the final analysis it's a figure on the jersey of your shirt. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I appreciate and there's no added burden."