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Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his squad's pursuit for honors this season is being threatened by a worrying circle of injuries and a grueling fixture list.

Latest Team Update

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, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker registered to their European squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot problem.

"Training, no because we lack time to train. But clearly the fact that you are missing players, you are loading other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a truly dangerous cycle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a extensive list of fitness problems for the club. Since the beginning of last season, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-most total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to return until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from knee and "needs more time," according to the boss.

Arteta dismissed the suggestion that practice methods were to culprit, citing a lack of time for drills. He highlighted the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two seasons.

Transfer Strategy

Even after a major off-season spend over £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is not looking to enter the winter recruitment market.

"At the moment we're just focusing on bringing the players back and with luck it will be a matter of weeks," he commented. "We know how important those coming weeks are going to be."

Looking Ahead

The team suffered their initial defeat in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their lead at the top of the league to two clear points.

Focus now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth consecutive group-stage win would virtually guarantee a knockout phase finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by scoring in a fifth straight consecutive Champions League match.

"We are disappointed with the result, but we have to keep going," he said. "This isn't like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."