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Forward Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a time of need for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against unexpected challengers Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca attributing "limited inventiveness" and his side's crossing being "below standard".

Chelsea's strikers are finding it hard to score and key passes as Delap is back available in the League Cup against lowly Wolves on this week (prime time), having been absent for 10 matches since sustaining the injury in the 2-0 win over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca commented the young striker will be gradually introduced "carefully", and the new recruit's availability is crucial for a team facing questions over their inconsistency, which has left the cup competitions their primary hope of claiming silverware this campaign.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea brought in Delap from the Tractor Boys for thirty million pounds despite attention from Old Trafford club, the Magpies and Everton.

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

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the USA. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three assists in his initial four top-flight matches after joining from Brighton.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his past seven matches. Maresca revealed he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "protected".

When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca commented: "For sure the conditioning element is important. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, particularly in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to score 20 goals every season. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to find the net and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like the Bayern legend, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Forward Line

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

Attacker Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a lower body issue until the winter.

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 induced an opposition error against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, the teenager, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has merely two scores and one assist - matching homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Attacker Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from defensive position last term, is without a goal this term. Winger Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his previous two fixtures, but before that scored only once in the initial ten fixtures.

After thirteen games in every tournament no forward has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's joint top scorers with four goals.

Queried whether a absence of prolific strikers means responsibility must be shared, Maresca said: "Definitely, yes. We repeatedly stated that the five players at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the way we have done last campaign."

Maresca has found ways to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second place for free-kick and corner scores in the top flight, one less than Arsenal. In furthermore, the Stamford Bridge side are the initial club to have 10 different scorers in the first division this campaign.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea fans believe the number nine shirt - assigned to Delap in the summer - is jinxed. It had been vacant since last year, and players who wore it since 2006 have struggled for goals, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - a trio of scores in twenty-one matches
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in 58 games
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 scores in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five goals in nineteen matches
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - a single strike in 12 games
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 goals in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in 25 appearances
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - no goals in twenty matches

A engine room operator and defender are included in this group, 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 number nine.

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 digit on the shirt of your kit. It's just a number that has always been related to forwards so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."