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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's pursuit for titles this season is being threatened by a worrying cycle of fitness setbacks and a relentless fixture list.

Latest Team News

Key midfielder Declan Rice did not travel for the Champions League trip to face Club Brugge due to sickness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker added to their European squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot injury.

"Training, no because we don't have time to train. But obviously 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 circle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a extensive list of injuries for the club. Since the start of last campaign, they have recorded 95 injuries, the second-most total in the Premier League.

Extended Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still rehabilitate from surgery and "needs more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta rejected the suggestion that training methods were to blame, citing a shortage of opportunity for sessions. He highlighted the pressure on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two seasons.

Recruitment Strategy

Even after a major off-season investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the team is unlikely planning to dip into the winter transfer market.

"At the moment we're just concentrating on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a question of a short time," he said. "We know how important those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

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

Attention now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth consecutive group victory would all but guarantee a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by finding the net in a fifth successive European fixture.

"The team is disappointed with the result, but we have to keep going," Martinelli said. "It's not like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."