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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his team's pursuit for titles this season is being jeopardized by a concerning cycle of fitness setbacks and a relentless fixture list.

Fresh Squad News

Key midfielder Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek clash to Belgium due to sickness. Meanwhile, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba remain on the sidelines.

There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American forward registered to their European squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot injury.

"Training, no because we lack 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 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 English top flight.

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still rehabilitate from surgery and "requires more time," according to the boss.

Arteta rejected the idea that training intensity were to blame, pointing to a lack of opportunity for sessions. He emphasized the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two years.

Transfer Plans

Despite a major summer investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the team is unlikely looking to dip into the January recruitment market.

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

Looking Ahead

The squad experienced their first loss in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their advantage at the summit of the Premier League to two points.

Attention now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth group-stage victory would all but guarantee a top-eight finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create history by finding the net in a fifth successive European match.

"The team is frustrated with the outcome, but we have to keep going," Martinelli stated. "This isn't like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."