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Mikel Arteta has voiced fears that his team's pursuit for honors this campaign is being jeopardized by a concerning circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless schedule.

Fresh Squad Update

Star player Declan Rice missed the midweek trip to Belgium due to illness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still unavailable.

There was, on a brighter note, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward registered to their Champions League squad. He comes in for the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an ankle problem.

"Training, 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 consequence to that and it's a really vicious circle."

Dowman's setback is the most recent in a long series of injuries for the North London side. Since the beginning of last season, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-most total in the English top flight.

Extended Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to return until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz still rehabilitate from surgery and "needs more time," as stated by the manager.

Arteta rejected the idea that training methods were to culprit, pointing to a lack of time for drills. He highlighted the strain on available players, some of whom have featured over 150 matches in two seasons.

Transfer Plans

Even after a significant summer spend exceeding £250 million, Arteta insisted the club is unlikely planning to dip into the January recruitment market.

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

Next Challenge

The squad experienced their initial loss in 18 games at the weekend, reducing their advantage at the top of the league to two clear points.

Attention now shifts to the Champions League, where a sixth group-stage victory would all but guarantee a knockout phase place. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could make history by scoring in a fifth successive European match.

"We are disappointed with the outcome, but we have to keep going," Martinelli said. "This isn't like everything is going wrong because we lost one game. So we stick together."