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Forward Liam Delap is coming back from a thigh problem at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca attributing "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "not the best".

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap is back available in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having been absent for 10 matches since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in last month.

Maresca commented the emerging talent will be phased in "slowly", and the summer signing's availability is crucial for a team facing questions over their mixed results, which has left the domestic cups their best opportunity of securing honors this term.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from Ipswich Town for £30m despite attention from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and the Toffees.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was second to expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three setups in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "protected".

When queried about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca commented: "Definitely the conditioning element is vital. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, especially in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to score and create chances but he's a distinctive forward to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like the Polish striker, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."

Wider Problems in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea confront additional challenges beyond their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is unlikely to be back from a groin problem until the winter.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has no goals and one goal contribution in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one score in seven games and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has merely two scores and one setup - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Striker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last term, is without a goal this term. Winger Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his past two matches, but earlier scored only once in the opening ten matches.

After thirteen games in every tournament no attacker has over two strikes, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.

Questioned whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the attack, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the way we have done last campaign."

Maresca has discovered methods to challenge despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this season.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea fans think the center-forward number - assigned to Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been vacant since last year, and players who donned it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 goals in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in 20 appearances

A central player and defensive specialist are part of this selection, and some would argue Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the curse. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he said at the international tournament.

"At the end of the day it's a figure on the jersey of your shirt. It's just a digit that has always been related to attackers so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."