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Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his squad's chase for honors this season is being threatened by a worrying circle of injuries and a relentless schedule.

Fresh Squad News

Star player Declan Rice missed the Champions League trip to face Club Brugge 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 Brazilian forward registered to their Champions League squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an foot problem.

"Practice, 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 knock-on effect to that and it's a truly dangerous circle."

Dowman's issue is the latest in a extensive list of fitness problems for the club. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have suffered 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 return until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still recover from knee and "requires more time," according to the boss.

Arteta dismissed the idea that practice intensity were to culprit, citing a lack of time for sessions. He highlighted the pressure on available players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two years.

Recruitment Strategy

Despite a major summer investment over £250 million, Arteta insisted the team is unlikely looking to enter the winter recruitment market.

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

Next Challenge

The team suffered their first defeat in 18 matches at the weekend, reducing their advantage at the summit of the league to two points.

Attention now turns to the Champions League, where a sixth group-stage win would virtually secure a top-eight finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make history by finding the net in a fifth consecutive European match.

"The team is disappointed with the result, but we have to keep going," he said. "This isn't like everything is going badly because we lost one game. So we stick together."