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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his team's chase for titles this campaign is being threatened by a worrying circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless fixture list.

Fresh Team Update

Star player Declan Rice missed the Champions League trip to Belgium due to sickness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker registered to their Champions League squad. He replaces the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle problem.

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

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-most total in the English top flight.

Extended Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to return until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from knee and "needs more time," according to the boss.

Arteta rejected the suggestion that practice methods were to culprit, pointing to a lack of time for drills. He emphasized the pressure on available players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two seasons.

Recruitment Plans

Despite a significant summer investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the club is unlikely looking to dip into the winter transfer market.

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

Next Challenge

The team experienced their first loss in 18 matches at the weekend, reducing their advantage at the top of the Premier League to two clear points.

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

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