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Arsenal's manager has expressed concern that his team's pursuit for titles this campaign is being jeopardized by a concerning circle of injuries and a grueling fixture list.

Latest Squad Update

Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek clash to Belgium due to illness. In addition, forward Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba remain unavailable.

There was, however, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker registered to their European squad. He replaces the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who suffered an ankle injury.

"Training, no because we don't have time to train. But clearly the fact that you are missing players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a knock-on effect to that and it's a truly vicious cycle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a extensive series of fitness problems for the North London side. Since the beginning of last season, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-most total in the English top flight.

Long-Term Absences

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

Arteta dismissed the suggestion that practice methods were to culprit, pointing to a lack of time for sessions. He emphasized the strain on available players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two seasons.

Transfer Plans

Despite a significant summer investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the club is not planning to dip into the winter transfer market.

"Right now we're just focusing on getting the players back and hopefully it will be a matter of weeks," he commented. "We know how important those weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The squad suffered their initial defeat in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their advantage at the summit of the league to two clear points.

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

"We are disappointed with the outcome, but we have to move forward," he stated. "It's not like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."