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Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his team's pursuit for honors this season is being threatened by a concerning cycle of injuries and a grueling schedule.

Fresh Team News

Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the Champions League clash to Belgium due to sickness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba remain on the sidelines.

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

"Training, no because we lack time to train. But clearly the fact that you are without players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a really vicious cycle."

Dowman's setback is the most recent in a long series of injuries for the club. Since the beginning of last season, they have suffered 95 player absences, the second-highest 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 still rehabilitate from knee and "requires more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta rejected the suggestion that training methods were to culprit, citing a lack of time for drills. He emphasized the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two seasons.

Transfer Plans

Despite a major summer spend over £250 million, Arteta stated the club is not looking to enter the winter transfer market.

"At the moment we're just focusing on bringing the players back and hopefully it will be a question of weeks," he commented. "It's clear how important those coming weeks are going to be."

Looking Ahead

The squad suffered their first defeat in 18 games at the weekend, cutting their advantage at the top of the league to two clear points.

Focus now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth group victory would all but secure a top-eight place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create history by finding the net in a fifth straight consecutive European match.

"We are disappointed with the result, 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."