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Striker Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca citing "a lack of creativity" and his team's delivery being "subpar".

Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap returns in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in August.

Maresca said the young striker will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the new recruit's return is crucial for a team facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of securing honors this campaign.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite interest from Old Trafford club, Newcastle United and the Toffees.

Yet the young English striker was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this recent international tournament - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Brazilian forward scored another two and three assists in his opening quartet of league fixtures after arriving from Brighton.

More recently, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca revealed he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "handled carefully".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "Certainly the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's challenging to excel, particularly in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times annually. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or [Erling] Haaland."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Attack

Chelsea face additional challenges in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's drought.

Forward Cole Palmer has completed two games all term and is not expected return from a groin problem until the winter.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a £52m package, has failed to score and a single assist in ten games. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven matches and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, eighteen, has shown promise since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has only two goals and a single assist - equaling youth product Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this campaign. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his past two matches, but prior to that scored only once in the first 10 games.

After 13 matches in various cups no striker has above two scores, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.

Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca stated: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the five players at the offense, we need numerous strikes from each, in the manner we achieved last campaign."

Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite offensive unpredictability. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores 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 first division this season.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea supporters believe the striker's jersey - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been vacant since last year, and squad members who donned it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 appearances
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in eighty-two matches
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in 19 appearances
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 games
• 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) - zero strikes in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in twenty matches

A central player and backline player are among those listed, and some would suggest Abraham ended the jinx with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unfazed when questioned about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he said 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 traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I appreciate and there's no pressure."