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Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his team's pursuit for titles this season is being threatened by a worrying cycle of injuries and a relentless fixture list.

Fresh Team Update

Key midfielder Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek clash to face Club Brugge due to illness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, on a brighter note, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker registered to their Champions League squad. He replaces the hurt 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 loading other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a truly vicious circle."

Dowman's issue is the latest in a long series of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the start 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 boss.

Arteta rejected the idea that practice intensity were to culprit, pointing to a lack of time for sessions. He emphasized the strain on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two years.

Transfer Strategy

Despite a major summer investment exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is unlikely planning to dip into the winter transfer market.

"At the moment we're just concentrating on getting the players back and hopefully it will be a question of weeks," he said. "We know how crucial those weeks are going to be."

Looking Ahead

The squad suffered their initial defeat in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their advantage at the top of the Premier League to two clear points.

Attention now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group victory would virtually secure a top-eight place. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by scoring in a fifth straight consecutive Champions League match.

"We are frustrated with the result, but we have to move forward," he stated. "It's not like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we remain united."