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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's chase for titles this season is being jeopardized by a worrying circle of injuries and a relentless schedule.

Latest Squad News

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

There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker registered to their Champions League squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot problem.

"Practice, no because we lack 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 cycle."

Dowman's issue is the latest in a long series of injuries for the club. Since the start of last campaign, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-most total in the English top flight.

Extended Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from surgery and "needs more time," according to the manager.

Arteta dismissed the idea that training intensity were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of opportunity for drills. He highlighted the pressure on available players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two years.

Transfer Strategy

Despite a major off-season spend over £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is unlikely looking to enter the winter transfer market.

"Right now we're just focusing on getting the players back and with luck it will be a question of weeks," he commented. "We know how crucial those 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 shifts to the European stage, where a sixth group victory would virtually guarantee a top-eight finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth straight consecutive Champions League fixture.

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