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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his team's pursuit for honors this season is being threatened by a worrying cycle of injuries and a grueling schedule.

Fresh Team Update

Star player Declan Rice missed the midweek clash to Belgium due to illness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still unavailable.

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 picked up an ankle injury.

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly 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 truly dangerous cycle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a extensive list of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the start of last campaign, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still rehabilitate from knee and "needs more time," according to the boss.

Arteta dismissed the idea that training intensity were to culprit, pointing to a lack of opportunity for sessions. He highlighted the strain on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two years.

Transfer Strategy

Even after a significant summer spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is not planning to dip into the winter transfer market.

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

Next Challenge

The team suffered their first defeat in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their lead at the summit of the league to two points.

Focus now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth group victory would all but guarantee a knockout phase finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth consecutive Champions League fixture.

"We are disappointed with the result, but we have to move forward," he said. "It's not like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."