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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's pursuit for honors this season is being threatened by a worrying circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless fixture list.

Latest Squad Update

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the midweek trip to Belgium due to sickness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still on the sidelines.

There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker added to their European squad. He replaces the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle problem.

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But obviously the fact that you are without players, you are loading other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a really vicious cycle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a long series of injuries for the North London side. Since the start of last campaign, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the English top flight.

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to return until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from surgery and "requires more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta rejected the suggestion that practice intensity were to culprit, citing a shortage of time for sessions. He emphasized the pressure on available players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two years.

Recruitment Strategy

Even after a major off-season spend over £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is not planning to enter the January recruitment market.

"Right now we're just focusing on getting the players back and with luck it will be a question of weeks," he commented. "It's clear how important those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

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

Attention now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth group-stage win would all but secure a top-eight place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by finding the net in a fifth straight consecutive Champions League match.

"The team is frustrated with the outcome, but we have to move forward," Martinelli said. "It's not like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."