Striker Liam Delap is returning from a hamstring injury at a important period for Chelsea.
The West London club lost 2-1 against surprise package Sunderland at their stadium on recently, with manager Enzo Maresca citing "insufficient imagination" and his squad's passes being "not the best".
Chelsea's forwards are struggling for goals and key passes as Delap makes his comeback in the EFL Cup against bottom-half Wolves on this week (19:45 GMT), having been absent for 10 matches since suffering the setback in the victory over Fulham in August.
Maresca commented the emerging talent will be slowly integrated "slowly", and the recent acquisition's availability is important for a side facing questions over their inconsistency, which has left the national tournaments their primary hope of winning a trophy this season.
Chelsea acquired Delap from the Championship side for thirty million pounds despite interest from the Red Devils, Newcastle United and the Toffees.
Yet the England Under-21s forward was behind £55m signing Joao Pedro in the pecking order at this summer's Club World Cup - and with solid justification.
Joao Pedro registered a trio of strikes in three outings as Chelsea secured the maiden title in the America. The Brazilian forward notched additional strikes and three goal contributions in his opening quartet of league fixtures after joining from Brighton.
More of late, however, Joao Pedro has been goalless in his past seven matches. Maresca revealed he is one of three squad members - along with midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo - who currently need to be "shielded".
When questioned about Joao Pedro's drop in output, Maresca remarked: "For sure the fitness aspect is vital. When you are not 100% it's difficult to compete, notably in this competition."
"Joao Pedro is not a number nine that is going to net twenty times each year. Joao's a fantastic player, he's going to find the net and provide assists but he's a alternative type of striker to ones that score 20 to 25 goals annually like the Polish striker, the PSG forward or the Norwegian goal machine."
Chelsea confront broader problems in addition to their attackers and Joao Pedro's goalless run.
Forward Cole Palmer has played two full matches all campaign and is unlikely to be back from a groin injury until next month.
Attacking midfielder Jamie Bynoe-Gittens, acquired from Borussia Dortmund for a fee rising to £52m, has failed to score and a single assist in 10 matches. Alejandro Garnacho, a £40m recruit from Manchester United, has one goal in seven outings and forced an own goal against Benfica.
Estevao Willian, 18, has entertained since joining from Palmeiras for a potential £51 million deal, but has only two goals and one assist - paralleling academy forward Tyrique George.
Striker Marc Guiu and Brighton loanee Facundo Buonanotte have one goal each.
Marc Cucurella, who notched seven from left-back last season, is still to score this season. Wide man Pedro Neto has a single strike and two setups in his last two games, but before that scored only once in the initial ten fixtures.
After thirteen games in all competitions no attacker has more than two goals, with central players Fernandez and Caicedo Chelsea's equal leading marksmen with four strikes.
Asked whether a absence of prolific strikers means duties need distributing, Maresca commented: "Definitely, yes. We frequently mentioned that the front five at the front, we need multiple goals per player, in the manner we achieved last campaign."
Maresca has developed approaches to be competitive despite attacking inconsistency. Chelsea are runner-up in free-kick and corner scores in the English top division, trailing by one Arsenal. In addition, the Blues are the pioneering side to have ten various goalscorers in the top flight this campaign.
Some Chelsea fans believe the number nine shirt - claimed by Delap in the off-season - is hexed. It had been vacant since last year, and squad members who donned it since the mid-2000s have struggled for goals, including:
A engine room operator and defender are among those listed, and some would suggest Abraham lifted the hoodoo with his record, while legendary strikers such as Peter Osgood and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink thrived with the number nine.
But Delap was unmoved when asked about the hoodoo. "I don't believe [who believes in curses]," he commented at the global competition.
"In the final analysis it's a figure on the jersey of your uniform. It's just a digit that has always been related to attackers so it's something that I enjoy and there's no pressure."
Elara is a seasoned writer and digital storyteller with a passion for exploring diverse literary genres and empowering others through words.
