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Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a time of need for Chelsea.

The West London club suffered a 2-1 defeat against shock contenders Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with boss Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "not the best".

Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and goal contributions as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having been absent for 10 matches since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.

Maresca said the young striker will be phased in "carefully", and the recent acquisition's comeback is crucial for a side facing scrutiny over their inconsistency, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of winning a trophy this season.

Delap to Take Pressure Off Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from Ipswich Town for thirty million pounds despite pursuit by the Red Devils, Newcastle United and the Toffees.

Yet the young English striker was second to £55m signing Joao Pedro in the team ranking at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the United States. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after joining from Brighton.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca revealed he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "shielded".

When questioned about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "For sure the conditioning element is important. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, especially in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times every season. 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, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea deal with wider issues beyond their forwards and Joao Pedro's goalless run.

Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all term and is unlikely to be back from a lower body issue until next month.

Wide player 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 one score in seven games and caused an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has impressed since arriving from Palmeiras for a £51m package, but has just two strikes and a single assist - matching academy forward Tyrique George.

Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have a single strike apiece.

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from full-back last campaign, is yet to find the net this campaign. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his past two matches, but prior to that scored only once in the opening ten matches.

After thirteen fixtures in various cups no striker has over two strikes, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen 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 attack, we need multiple goals per player, in the fashion we managed last campaign."

Maresca has developed approaches to challenge despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, one behind Arsenal. In furthermore, the West London club are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the Premier League this term.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

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

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - fifteen strikes in 58 appearances
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five strikes in 19 appearances
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 appearances
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one score in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 appearances

A midfielder and backline player are included in this group, and some would argue Abraham broke the curse with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with the striker's jersey.

But Delap was unconcerned when questioned about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the Club World Cup.

"In the final analysis it's a digit on the shirt of your kit. It's just a number that has traditionally been associated to attackers so it's something that I like and there's no pressure."