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Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his squad's pursuit for honors this season is being threatened by a worrying circle of injuries and a grueling fixture list.

Fresh Team News

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

There was, on a brighter note, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker added to their European squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an ankle injury.

"Practice, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are missing 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 list of fitness problems 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 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from surgery and "requires more time," according to the boss.

Arteta dismissed the suggestion that practice methods were to culprit, pointing to a shortage of opportunity for sessions. He highlighted the pressure on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two years.

Transfer Strategy

Despite a significant summer spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is unlikely planning to dip into the January recruitment market.

"At the moment we're just concentrating on bringing the players back and with luck it will be a question of a short time," he commented. "It's clear how crucial those coming weeks are going to be."

Looking Ahead

The squad experienced their first loss in 18 matches at the weekend, reducing their advantage at the summit of the league to two clear points.

Attention now turns to the European stage, where a sixth group-stage victory would virtually guarantee a top-eight place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth straight successive Champions League fixture.

"We are disappointed with the result, but we have to move forward," Martinelli said. "It's not like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."