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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his team's chase for honors this season is being threatened by a worrying circle of fitness setbacks and a grueling schedule.

Latest Team Update

Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek clash to Belgium due to illness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still unavailable.

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

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But obviously 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 really dangerous cycle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a long list of fitness problems for the club. Since the start of last season, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-highest total in the English top flight.

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from surgery and "requires more time," according to the manager.

Arteta dismissed the suggestion that training intensity were to culprit, pointing to a lack of opportunity for drills. He highlighted the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two years.

Recruitment Plans

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

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

Next Challenge

The team experienced their initial loss in 18 games at the weekend, reducing their advantage at the top of the Premier League to two points.

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

"We are frustrated with the result, but we have to keep going," Martinelli stated. "It's not like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."