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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his squad's chase for titles this season is being threatened by a concerning cycle of injuries and a relentless fixture list.

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Star player Declan Rice missed the midweek clash to Belgium due to illness. In addition, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba remain unavailable.

There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward added to their Champions League squad. He replaces the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle injury.

"Training, no because we don't have 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 cycle."

Dowman's issue is the latest in a long series of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the beginning of last season, they have suffered 95 injuries, 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 still recover from surgery and "needs more time," according to the boss.

Arteta dismissed the idea that practice intensity were to blame, pointing to a lack of opportunity for drills. He highlighted the strain on fit players, some of whom have featured over 150 games in two seasons.

Recruitment Strategy

Despite a significant off-season investment over £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is not planning to enter 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 a short time," he said. "We know how crucial those weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The squad experienced their first loss in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their lead at the summit of the league to two points.

Attention now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth group-stage victory would all but secure a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make a club record by finding the net in a fifth straight consecutive Champions League match.

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