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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's pursuit for honors this campaign is being jeopardized by a worrying circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless schedule.

Fresh Team News

Star player Declan Rice missed the Champions League trip to face Club Brugge 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 replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle injury.

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are without players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a truly vicious circle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a extensive list of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the beginning of last season, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-highest total in the English top flight.

Long-Term Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to return until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from surgery and "requires more time," according to the boss.

Arteta rejected the suggestion that training methods were to blame, citing a shortage of opportunity for drills. He highlighted the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two seasons.

Transfer Strategy

Despite a significant off-season spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta stated the team is not looking to enter the January recruitment market.

"Right now 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 weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The team suffered their initial loss in 18 matches at the weekend, reducing their lead at the top of the Premier League to two clear points.

Attention now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group victory would virtually guarantee a top-eight finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth consecutive Champions League match.

"The team is frustrated with the result, but we have to keep going," Martinelli stated. "It's not like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."