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

Fresh Squad Update

Star player Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek trip to Belgium due to sickness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba remain on the sidelines.

There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker registered to their Champions League squad. He replaces the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot problem.

"Training, no because we lack time to train. But obviously the fact that you are without players, you are loading other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a truly vicious cycle."

Dowman's issue is the most recent in a extensive series of injuries for the club. Since the start of last campaign, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-highest total in the Premier League.

Long-Term Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to return until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to rehabilitate from surgery and "requires more time," according to the boss.

Arteta rejected the idea that practice methods were to blame, pointing to a shortage of opportunity for drills. He highlighted the strain on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two years.

Transfer Plans

Despite a major summer spend over £250 million, Arteta stated the team is not looking to enter the January transfer market.

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

Looking Ahead

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

Focus now turns to the European stage, where a sixth consecutive group-stage win would virtually guarantee a knockout phase place. Winger Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth successive European fixture.

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