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Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his squad's chase for honors this season is being jeopardized by a worrying cycle of injuries and a grueling schedule.

Latest Team News

Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek trip to Belgium due to illness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba remain unavailable.

There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker registered to their Champions League squad. He replaces the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot injury.

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are missing players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a truly vicious circle."

Dowman's setback is the most recent in a extensive list of fitness problems for the club. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-most total in the English top flight.

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from surgery and "needs more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta dismissed the suggestion that training intensity were to blame, pointing to a shortage of time for sessions. He highlighted the pressure on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two years.

Transfer Plans

Even after a significant summer spend over £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is not planning to dip into the winter recruitment market.

"Right now we're just focusing on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a question of weeks," he said. "We know how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The team experienced their first loss in 18 games at the weekend, cutting their lead at the summit of the league to two points.

Attention now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group victory would virtually guarantee a knockout phase place. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create history by scoring in a fifth straight consecutive European fixture.

"The team is frustrated with the result, but we have to move forward," Martinelli said. "This isn't like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."