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

Fresh Squad News

Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek trip to face Club Brugge due to illness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba remain unavailable.

There was, on a brighter note, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward registered to their European squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an ankle injury.

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But obviously the fact that you are missing 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 most recent in a extensive series of fitness problems for the club. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-highest total in the Premier League.

Extended Absences

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

Arteta dismissed the suggestion that practice intensity were to culprit, citing a shortage of opportunity for sessions. He highlighted the strain on available players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two seasons.

Recruitment Strategy

Despite a significant summer spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is unlikely looking to enter the winter recruitment market.

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

Next Challenge

The squad suffered their first loss in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their advantage at the summit of the Premier League to two points.

Attention now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth group-stage win would virtually secure a top-eight place. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create history by scoring in a fifth straight successive Champions League fixture.

"We are frustrated with the outcome, but we have to move forward," he said. "This isn't like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."