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Attacker Liam Delap is recovering from a thigh problem at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit suffered a 2-1 defeat against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on the weekend, with boss Enzo Maresca blaming "insufficient imagination" and his side's crossing being "not the best".

Chelsea's attackers are having difficulty finding the net and key passes as Delap returns in the League Cup against struggling Wolves on Wednesday (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the success over Fulham in August.

Maresca stated the young striker will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the summer signing's comeback is important for a team facing criticism over their unpredictability, which has left the domestic cups their primary hope of securing honors this campaign.

Delap to Share Load With Joao Pedro

Chelsea signed Delap from the Tractor Boys for £30m despite interest from the Red Devils, St James' Park side and Everton.

Yet the young English striker was below £55 million acquisition Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with good reason.

Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three matches as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Seleção attacker scored another two and three goal contributions in his initial four top-flight matches after moving from the Seagulls.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has failed to score in his previous seven fixtures. Maresca said he is one of a trio of players - along with central players Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who presently require to be "handled carefully".

When asked about Joao Pedro's dip in form, Maresca said: "For sure the conditioning element is vital. When you are not fully fit it's hard to perform, particularly in this league."

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to score 20 goals each year. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to get goals and give assists but he's a alternative type of striker to players who get 20 to 25 goals every season like [Robert] Lewandowski, [Kylian] Mbappe or the Norwegian goal machine."

Broader Issues in Chelsea's Offense

Chelsea deal with wider issues beyond their strikers and Joao Pedro's drought.

Winger Cole Palmer has completed two games all campaign and is not anticipated to feature from a groin injury until December.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has no goals and a single assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one score in seven matches 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 just two strikes and one setup - paralleling homegrown talent Tyrique George.

Forward Marc Guiu and Seagulls temporary signing Facundo Buonanotte have one score each.

Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last season, is still to score this season. Winger Pedro Neto has one goal and two assists in his past two matches, but prior to that found the net just once in the opening ten matches.

After thirteen fixtures in all competitions no striker has over two strikes, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four.

Questioned whether a shortage of clinical finishers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Definitely, yes. We said many times that the five players at the front, we need numerous strikes from each, in the manner we achieved last season."

Maresca has discovered methods to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are runner-up in dead-ball situations in the Premier League, one behind Arsenal. In moreover, the Stamford Bridge side are the pioneering side to have ten distinct net-finders in the top flight this term.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea followers think the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the summer - is cursed. It had been vacant since 2023, and footballers who wore it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, 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 scores in 82 games
• Gonzalo Higuain (2018-19) - five scores in 19 appearances
• Alvaro Morata (2017-18) - 24 scores in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): 45 scores in 172 appearances
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - zero strikes in 16 games
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - a single strike in 25 games
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in twenty matches

A central player and backline player are among those listed, and some would suggest Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his achievement, while iconic forwards such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink flourished with nine on their back.

But Delap was unconcerned when questioned about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he stated at the Club World Cup.

"Ultimately it's a digit on the shirt of your shirt. It's just a number that has historically been connected to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's zero expectation."