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

The Blues lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their home ground on recently, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "below standard".

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against lowly Wolves on Wednesday (evening kickoff), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the victory over Fulham in August.

Maresca stated the 22-year-old will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the summer signing's comeback is crucial for a team facing questions over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of claiming silverware this campaign.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and Goodison Park team.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was below £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this global competition - and with solid justification.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three appearances as Chelsea won the inaugural tournament in the America. The Brazil striker added two more goals and three assists 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 said 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 said: "Certainly the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, especially in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times annually. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and give assists but he's a distinctive forward to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like the Bayern legend, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Forward Line

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

Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a groin injury until the winter.

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has failed to score and one goal contribution in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40 million signing from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and a single assist - equaling youth product Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from defensive position last season, is without a goal this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two goal contributions in his previous two fixtures, but before that got only one goal in the first 10 games.

After thirteen games in every tournament no forward has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four strikes.

Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the manner we achieved last campaign."

Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the top flight, one behind Arsenal. In addition, the West London club are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the first division this season.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea followers believe the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is cursed. It had been unoccupied since recently, and footballers who wore it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 scores in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - thirty strikes in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 games
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 appearances
• 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 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches

A midfielder and backline player are included in this group, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with nine on their back.

But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the hoodoo. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition.

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