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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's pursuit for honors this campaign is being threatened by a worrying circle of injuries and a relentless fixture list.

Latest Squad News

Key midfielder Declan Rice did not travel for the Champions League trip to Belgium due to sickness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba remain unavailable.

There was, on a brighter note, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward added to their Champions League squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle problem.

"Training, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are without players, you are loading other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a really vicious cycle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a extensive series of injuries for the club. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the English top flight.

Extended Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from knee and "needs more time," according to the boss.

Arteta dismissed the idea that training intensity were to blame, pointing to a lack of opportunity for drills. He highlighted the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two seasons.

Recruitment Strategy

Even after a significant off-season investment exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is not looking to enter the winter transfer market.

"Right now we're just concentrating on getting the players back and with luck it will be a question of a short time," he said. "We know how crucial those weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The squad experienced their initial defeat in 18 matches at the weekend, reducing their lead at the top of the league to two points.

Focus now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth group victory would all but secure a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create history by scoring in a fifth straight successive European fixture.

"The team is frustrated with the result, but we have to keep going," Martinelli said. "This isn't like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."