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

Latest Squad News

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the Champions League clash to face Club Brugge due to sickness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still on the sidelines.

There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker added to their European squad. He comes in for the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle injury.

"Training, 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 truly dangerous circle."

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

Long-Term Absentees

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

Arteta rejected the suggestion that training methods were to culprit, citing a lack of time for sessions. He emphasized the pressure on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two years.

Transfer Plans

Despite a significant off-season spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the team is not planning to dip into the winter transfer market.

"At the moment we're just focusing on bringing the players back and with luck it will be a question of weeks," he said. "We know how crucial those weeks are going to be."

Looking Ahead

The team suffered their first defeat in 18 matches 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 Champions League, where a sixth group win would virtually guarantee a knockout phase finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by scoring in a fifth straight successive Champions League fixture.

"We are disappointed with the outcome, but we have to keep going," he stated. "It's not like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."