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

Latest Squad News

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the Champions League trip to face Club Brugge due to sickness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still unavailable.

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

"Practice, 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 consequence to that and it's a really vicious circle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a extensive series of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the beginning of last season, they have recorded 95 injuries, the second-highest total in the English top flight.

Extended Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from surgery and "needs more time," as stated by the boss.

Arteta rejected the suggestion that practice methods were to blame, citing a shortage of time for drills. He emphasized the strain on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two years.

Recruitment Strategy

Even after a major off-season investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the club is unlikely planning to enter the winter transfer market.

"Right now we're just concentrating on getting the players back and hopefully it will be a matter of weeks," he commented. "It's clear how crucial those weeks are going to be."

Looking Ahead

The squad experienced their initial defeat in 18 games at the weekend, reducing their advantage at the summit of the Premier League to two points.

Attention now turns to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group-stage victory would virtually secure a top-eight place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by finding the net in a fifth successive Champions League fixture.

"The team is frustrated with the outcome, but we have to keep going," Martinelli said. "This isn't like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."