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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his team's chase for honors this campaign is being jeopardized by a concerning cycle of injuries and a relentless fixture list.

Latest Squad News

Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek clash to Belgium due to sickness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still on the sidelines.

There was, on a brighter note, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker added to their European squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle injury.

"Training, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are missing players, you are loading other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a truly vicious circle."

Dowman's issue is the latest in a extensive list of fitness problems for the club. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the English top flight.

Extended Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still rehabilitate from knee and "needs more time," according to the manager.

Arteta rejected the suggestion that training methods were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of time for sessions. He emphasized the strain on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two seasons.

Recruitment Strategy

Even after a significant summer spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is not looking to dip into the January recruitment market.

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

Next Challenge

The squad suffered their first loss in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their advantage at the top of the Premier League to two clear points.

Attention now turns to the European stage, where a sixth group win would all but guarantee a top-eight finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth straight consecutive European fixture.

"We are disappointed with the outcome, but we have to keep going," he said. "This isn't like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."