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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's chase for honors this season is being jeopardized by a concerning cycle of injuries and a relentless fixture list.

Fresh Squad News

Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek trip to Belgium due to sickness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker added to their European squad. He replaces the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an ankle problem.

"Training, no because we don't have time to train. But obviously the fact that you are without players, you are loading other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a truly vicious cycle."

Dowman's setback is the most recent in a extensive list of injuries for the club. Since the start of last campaign, they have recorded 95 injuries, the second-highest total in the English top flight.

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from surgery and "needs more time," according to the boss.

Arteta rejected the suggestion that practice methods were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of time for drills. He emphasized the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two years.

Transfer Plans

Despite a major off-season investment exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the team is not looking to enter the winter recruitment market.

"Right now we're just concentrating on bringing the players back and with luck it will be a matter of a short time," he said. "We know how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The squad experienced their initial defeat in 18 matches at the weekend, reducing their advantage at the top of the league to two clear points.

Focus now turns to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group-stage victory would virtually secure a top-eight finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could make history by scoring in a fifth straight successive European fixture.

"The team is disappointed with the outcome, but we have to keep going," Martinelli said. "This isn't like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."