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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his team's pursuit for honors this season is being jeopardized by a worrying cycle of fitness setbacks and a relentless schedule.

Fresh Team News

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the midweek trip to face Club Brugge due to sickness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker added to their Champions League squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot problem.

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are without players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a truly dangerous cycle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a extensive series of injuries for the North London side. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the English top flight.

Long-Term Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to return until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from surgery and "requires more time," as stated by the boss.

Arteta rejected the idea that training methods were to culprit, citing a shortage of time for drills. He highlighted the strain on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two seasons.

Transfer Plans

Despite a major off-season investment exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the team is not looking to dip into the January recruitment market.

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

Looking Ahead

The squad suffered their first defeat in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their advantage at the summit of the league to two points.

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

"The team is disappointed with the outcome, but we have to keep going," Martinelli stated. "It's not like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."