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

The West London club suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at their stadium on the weekend, with manager Enzo Maresca blaming "limited inventiveness" and his team's delivery being "subpar".

Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (prime time), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in August.

Maresca said the 22-year-old will be slowly integrated "gradually", and the summer signing's comeback is vital for a club facing scrutiny over their mixed results, which has left the cup competitions their most realistic chance of securing honors this term.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea acquired Delap from the Tractor Boys for a £30 million fee despite interest from Old Trafford club, St James' Park side and Everton.

Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this recent international tournament - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro found the net three times in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the America. The Brazil striker notched additional strikes and three assists in his first four Premier League games after joining from Brighton.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his last seven games. Maresca stated he is one of a trio of players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "protected".

When asked about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca remarked: "Certainly the fitness aspect is crucial. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, especially in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to reach twenty strikes annually. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to get goals and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to those who net 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea deal with broader problems apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

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

Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has zero strikes and a single assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven games and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since joining from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes 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 term, is yet to find the net this season. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two assists in his past two matches, but earlier got only one goal in the initial ten fixtures.

After 13 matches in every tournament no striker has over two strikes, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's shared top goalscorers with four goals.

Questioned whether a lack of natural goalscorers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca said: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the front five at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last campaign."

Maresca has discovered methods to compete despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in set-piece goals in the Premier League, trailing by one Arsenal. In addition, the Blues are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this season.

Is the Number Nine Hoodoo About to Lift?

Some Chelsea fans feel the striker's jersey - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is jinxed. It had been unoccupied since 2023, and footballers who wore it since the mid-2000s have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 appearances
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in one hundred seventy-two matches
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in sixteen matches
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches

A midfielder and defender are part of this selection, and some would contend Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with the number nine.

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

"Ultimately it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a digit that has always been related to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no pressure."