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Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his team's chase for titles this season is being threatened by a worrying circle of injuries and a relentless schedule.

Latest Team News

Key midfielder Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek trip to face Club Brugge due to illness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba remain on the sidelines.

There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker registered to their European squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot 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 consequence to that and it's a truly dangerous circle."

Dowman's setback is the most recent in a extensive list of fitness problems for the club. Since the start of last season, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the English top flight.

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to return until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from surgery and "needs more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta dismissed the suggestion that practice methods were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of opportunity for drills. He highlighted the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two seasons.

Recruitment Strategy

Even after a significant summer spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is not planning to enter 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 weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The team suffered their first defeat 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 win would virtually secure a top-eight finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by scoring in a fifth consecutive European fixture.

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