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

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Key midfielder Declan Rice did not travel for the Champions League trip to Belgium due to sickness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still on the sidelines.

There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward added to their European squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot problem.

"Training, 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 truly vicious cycle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a extensive series of injuries for the club. Since the start of last season, they have recorded 95 injuries, the second-most total in the English top flight.

Long-Term Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still rehabilitate from surgery and "requires more time," according to the boss.

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

Recruitment Strategy

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

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

Looking Ahead

The team suffered their initial loss in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their advantage at the summit of the Premier League to two clear points.

Attention now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group win would all but secure a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by scoring in a fifth successive Champions League fixture.

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