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Forward Liam Delap is returning from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The Blues lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with head coach Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his squad's passes being "subpar".

Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and assists as Delap makes his comeback in the League Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since suffering the setback in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca commented the young striker will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the recent acquisition's comeback is vital for a club facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the national tournaments their best opportunity of winning a trophy this campaign.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite attention from Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and Everton.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this global competition - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three outings as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the United States. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca revealed he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully".

When queried about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the physical part is important. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, especially in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to score 20 goals each year. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a different kind of nine to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, [Kylian] Mbappe or [Erling] Haaland."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea confront additional challenges beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all term and is not expected return from a groin injury until December.

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

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has impressed since arriving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and one assist - equaling academy forward Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from full-back last season, is yet to find the net this season. Attacking player Pedro Neto has one score and two setups in his past two matches, but before that scored only once in the first 10 games.

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

Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We repeatedly stated that the quintet of attackers at the offense, we need six, seven, eight, nine, 10 goals each, in the fashion we managed last term."

Maresca has found ways to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for dead-ball situations in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the first division this campaign.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea followers think the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been available since 2023, and squad members who donned it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in twelve matches
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - failed to score in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games

A midfielder and defensive specialist are included in this group, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with nine on their back.

But Delap was unconcerned when queried about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he commented at the international tournament.

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