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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his team's pursuit for titles this campaign is being jeopardized by a worrying cycle of injuries and a relentless schedule.

Latest Team Update

Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek clash to Belgium due to sickness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba remain unavailable.

There was, on a brighter note, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker registered to their European squad. He comes in for the hurt 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 missing players, you are loading other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a really dangerous cycle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a extensive list of fitness problems for the club. Since the start of last season, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the English top flight.

Extended Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to return until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from knee and "needs more time," according to the boss.

Arteta dismissed the idea that practice intensity were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of time for sessions. He highlighted the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two years.

Transfer Plans

Despite a major off-season spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the club is unlikely looking to enter the January recruitment market.

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

Looking Ahead

The team suffered their initial loss in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their lead at the top of the league to two points.

Focus now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth consecutive group-stage victory would all but secure a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by scoring in a fifth successive European match.

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