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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 injuries and a grueling schedule.

Latest Team Update

Star player Declan Rice missed the Champions League clash to face Club Brugge due to illness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the South American striker added to their European squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot problem.

"Training, no because we lack time to train. But obviously the fact that you are missing players, you are loading other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a really dangerous circle."

Dowman's issue is the latest in a long list of injuries for the North London side. Since the start of last season, they have recorded 95 injuries, the second-most total in the Premier League.

Extended Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to be back until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still rehabilitate from surgery and "requires more time," as stated by the boss.

Arteta dismissed the suggestion that practice methods were to culprit, citing a lack of time for drills. He highlighted the strain on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two years.

Recruitment Strategy

Even after a significant off-season investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the team is not looking to enter the January recruitment market.

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

Next Challenge

The team experienced their initial defeat in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their lead at the summit of the league to two points.

Focus now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth group win would all but guarantee a knockout phase finish. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create history by scoring in a fifth successive Champions League fixture.

"The team is frustrated with the result, but we have to move forward," Martinelli said. "This isn't like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."