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Striker Liam Delap is recovering from a hamstring injury at a crucial moment for Chelsea.

The Stamford Bridge outfit were beaten 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at Stamford Bridge on the weekend, with head coach Enzo Maresca blaming "a lack of creativity" and his side's crossing being "not the best".

Chelsea's strikers are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap is back available in the EFL Cup against lowly Wolves on midweek (19:45 GMT), having missed 10 games since picking up the problem in the 2-0 win over Fulham in last month.

Maresca commented the 22-year-old will be phased in "carefully", and the summer signing's return is vital for a team facing scrutiny over their unpredictability, which has left the national tournaments their most realistic chance of winning a trophy this campaign.

Delap to Ease Burden On Joao Pedro

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

Yet the young English striker was below expensive recruit Joao Pedro in the selection hierarchy at this summer's Club World Cup - and with valid cause.

Joao Pedro scored three goals in three appearances as Chelsea claimed the first edition in the USA. The Brazil striker scored another two and three setups in his first four Premier League games after arriving from Brighton.

More of late, however, Joao Pedro has not scored in his last seven games. Maresca stated he is one of three squad members - along with engine room operators Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who at the moment demand to be "handled carefully".

When queried about Joao Pedro's decline in performance, Maresca remarked: "Definitely the fitness aspect is important. When you are not at peak condition it's hard to perform, particularly in this competition."

"Joao Pedro is not a classic center-forward that is going to net twenty times every season. Joao's a superb talent, he's going to find the net and create chances but he's a alternative type of striker to players who get 20 to 25 goals annually like [Robert] Lewandowski, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."

Additional Concerns in Chelsea's Attack

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

Winger Cole Palmer has featured for ninety minutes twice all season and is not anticipated to feature from a groin problem until next month.

Winger Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, signed from Borussia Dortmund for a potential £52 million deal, has no goals and one assist in ten appearances. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m acquisition from Manchester United, has a single strike in seven outings and induced an opposition error against Benfica.

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

Forward Marc Guiu and loan signing Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.

Marc Cucurella, who got seven from full-back last campaign, is still to score this term. Wide man Pedro Neto has one score and two assists in his past two matches, but prior to that scored only once in the first 10 games.

After 13 matches in various cups no striker has more than two goals, with engine room operators Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four.

Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means goals must come from multiple sources, Maresca commented: "Certainly, yes. We said many times that the quintet of attackers at the attack, we need numerous strikes from each, in the fashion we managed last season."

Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite goal-scoring variability. Chelsea are second for dead-ball situations in the top flight, trailing by one Arsenal. In addition, the West London club are the first team to have ten distinct net-finders in the Premier League this campaign.

Can Chelsea's Striker Jinx End?

Some Chelsea supporters believe the striker's jersey - assigned to Delap in the transfer window - is cursed. It had been available since last year, and players who wore it since 2006 have had goal droughts, including:

• Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (2022-23) - three strikes in 21 games
• Romelu Lukaku (2021-22) - 15 goals 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) - 24 scores in 72 games
• Radamel Falcao (2015-16) - one goal in 12 appearances
• Fernando Torres (2010-11, 2014-15): forty-five strikes in 172 games
• Franco di Santo (2008-10) - no goals in 16 appearances
• Steve Sidwell (2007-08) - one goal in twenty-five matches
• Khalid Boulahrouz (2006-07) - zero strikes in 20 games

A central player and defender are included in this group, and some would argue Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his performance, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink excelled with nine on their back.

But Delap was unmoved when questioned about the jinx. "I'm not the type of person [who believes in curses]," he commented at the Club World Cup.

"In the final analysis it's a figure on the jersey of your uniform. It's just a figure that has always been related to strikers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no added burden."