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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's pursuit for titles this season is being jeopardized by a worrying circle of injuries and a relentless fixture list.

Latest Squad Update

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

There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker registered to their European squad. He replaces the hurt 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 missing players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a really vicious circle."

Dowman's issue is the latest in a long series of injuries for the North London side. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the Premier League.

Extended Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to return until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still rehabilitate from surgery and "requires more time," as stated by the boss.

Arteta rejected the suggestion that training intensity were to blame, pointing to a lack of time for drills. He highlighted the strain on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two years.

Recruitment Plans

Even after a significant off-season investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the team is not planning to dip into the winter recruitment market.

"Right now we're just focusing on getting the players back and with luck it will be a question of a short time," he commented. "We know how important those weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The team suffered their first loss in 18 games at the weekend, reducing their advantage at the summit of the Premier League to two clear points.

Attention now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth group win would virtually guarantee a top-eight finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth straight consecutive European fixture.

"The team is disappointed with the result, but we have to move forward," he stated. "This isn't like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."