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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's pursuit for titles this campaign is being threatened by a worrying cycle of fitness setbacks and a grueling fixture list.

Latest Team Update

Key midfielder Declan Rice missed the Champions League clash to Belgium due to illness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba remain on the sidelines.

There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American forward added to their European squad. He replaces the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot problem.

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are missing players, you are loading other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a truly vicious circle."

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

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to return until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from knee and "requires more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta dismissed the idea that practice methods were to culprit, citing a shortage of time for sessions. He emphasized the strain on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two seasons.

Recruitment Plans

Despite a major off-season spend over £250 million, Arteta stated the team is not looking to dip into the January transfer market.

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

Next Challenge

The squad suffered their first loss in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their advantage at the top of the league to two clear points.

Attention now turns to the European stage, where a sixth group victory would all but guarantee a top-eight finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by scoring in a fifth straight successive European fixture.

"The team is frustrated with the outcome, but we have to keep going," Martinelli stated. "It's not like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."