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Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his team's pursuit for titles this campaign is being jeopardized by a concerning circle of injuries and a grueling fixture list.

Fresh Squad News

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the midweek clash to Belgium due to sickness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba remain unavailable.

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

"Practice, no because we lack time to train. But clearly 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 vicious circle."

Dowman's issue is the latest in a long list of fitness problems for the club. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-most total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to return 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 intensity were to blame, citing a shortage of time for sessions. He emphasized the pressure on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two years.

Transfer Plans

Despite a significant off-season spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the club is unlikely planning to dip into the January recruitment market.

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

Looking Ahead

The squad experienced their initial defeat in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their lead at the top of the league to two points.

Attention now turns to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group-stage win would all but guarantee a knockout phase finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by scoring in a fifth straight consecutive European match.

"The team is disappointed with the result, but we have to keep going," Martinelli stated. "This isn't like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."