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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his team's chase for titles this season is being threatened by a concerning circle of fitness setbacks and a grueling schedule.

Latest Team News

Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek trip to face Club Brugge due to illness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American forward registered to their Champions League squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot injury.

"Practice, no because we lack time to train. But obviously the fact that you are without players, you are loading other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a really dangerous cycle."

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

Extended Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from surgery and "requires more time," according to the boss.

Arteta rejected the suggestion that practice methods were to culprit, citing a lack of time for drills. He highlighted the strain on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two seasons.

Recruitment Plans

Despite a major summer spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is not looking to enter the January transfer 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 squad experienced their first loss in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their lead at the summit of the Premier League to two clear points.

Attention now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth group-stage win would virtually secure a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create history by finding the net in a fifth consecutive Champions League fixture.

"We are frustrated with the result, but we have to keep going," he stated. "This isn't like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."