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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his team's pursuit for titles this season is being jeopardized by a worrying cycle of injuries and a grueling fixture list.

Fresh Team Update

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the midweek clash to face Club Brugge due to sickness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still on the sidelines.

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

"Training, no because we lack 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 truly 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 injuries, 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 recover from knee and "requires more time," as stated by the boss.

Arteta rejected the idea 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 played over 150 games in two seasons.

Recruitment Strategy

Even after a major off-season spend over £250 million, Arteta stated the team is not planning to enter the January recruitment 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. "It's clear how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The squad suffered their first loss in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their lead at the summit of the Premier League to two points.

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

"We are disappointed with the outcome, but we have to move forward," Martinelli said. "It's not like all is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."