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Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a muscle issue at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The Blues were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on Saturday, with manager Enzo Maresca citing "a lack of creativity" and his squad's passes being "below standard".

Chelsea's strikers are having difficulty finding the net and assists as Delap makes his comeback in the Carabao Cup against bottom-half Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having sat out 10 fixtures since picking up the problem in the victory over Fulham in the summer.

Maresca stated the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "carefully", and the new recruit's comeback is important for a team facing questions over their unpredictability, which has left the cup competitions their best opportunity of securing honors this season.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite pursuit by the Red Devils, the Magpies and Everton.

Yet the Three Lions prospect was behind £55m signing Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this global competition - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three outings as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the United States. The Brazilian forward added two more goals and three goal contributions in his first four Premier League games after moving from the Seagulls.

More lately, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca stated he is one of three players - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "protected".

When queried about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca commented: "For sure the conditioning element is crucial. When you are not 100% it's challenging to excel, especially in this division."

"Joao Pedro is not a traditional striker that is going to net twenty times annually. Joao's a excellent footballer, he's going to get goals and create chances but he's a different kind of nine to those who net 20 to 25 goals each year like the Bayern legend, the French superstar or [Erling] Haaland."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Forward Line

Chelsea confront wider issues apart from their strikers and Joao Pedro's scoreless streak.

Attacker Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all campaign and is not expected return from a groin injury until December.

Wide player Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, brought in from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has failed to score and one goal contribution in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven matches and forced an own goal against Benfica.

Estevao Willian, 18, has entertained since arriving from Palmeiras for a fee rising to £51m, but has just two strikes and one setup - equaling youth product Tyrique George.

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

Marc Cucurella, who scored seven from left-back last season, is without a goal this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has one goal and two setups in his last two games, but before that found the net just once in the first 10 games.

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

Asked whether a lack of natural goalscorers means duties need distributing, Maresca stated: "Absolutely, yes. We said many times that the five players at the attack, we need numerous strikes from each, in the fashion we managed last term."

Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, one less than Arsenal. In moreover, the Blues are the initial club to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this campaign.

Will Chelsea's Number Nine Curse Be Broken?

Some Chelsea followers feel the number nine shirt - taken by Delap in the transfer window - is hexed. It had been vacant since 2023, and footballers who sported it since 2006 have found scoring difficult, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three goals in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals in fifty-eight matches
• Tammy Abraham (2019-20, 2021-22) - 30 goals in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - twenty-four strikes in seventy-two matches
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 appearances
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one score in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - failed to score in 20 games

A central player and backline player are among those listed, and some would contend Abraham ended the jinx with his achievement, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with nine on their back.

But Delap was unmoved when queried about the hoodoo. "I'm not one [who believes in curses]," he said at the international tournament.

"Ultimately it's a digit on the shirt of your uniform. It's just a digit that has traditionally been associated to forwards so it's something that I appreciate and there's zero expectation."