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Mikel Arteta has expressed concern that his squad's chase for titles this season is being jeopardized by a concerning circle of fitness setbacks and a relentless fixture list.

Fresh Team News

Key midfielder Declan Rice did not travel for the midweek trip to face Club Brugge due to illness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and defender William Saliba are still on the sidelines.

There was, on a brighter note, positive news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian forward registered to their European squad. He comes in for the hurt youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an foot 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 vicious cycle."

Dowman's setback is the latest in a long series of injuries for the North London side. Since the start of last campaign, they have suffered 95 injuries, the second-highest total in the English top flight.

Long-Term Absences

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are unlikely to return until the new year.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from knee and "needs more time," according to the manager.

Arteta dismissed the suggestion that training intensity were to culprit, citing a shortage of opportunity for drills. He emphasized the pressure on fit players, some of whom have played over 150 games in two years.

Recruitment Plans

Despite a major summer investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the team is unlikely looking to enter the January transfer market.

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

Next Challenge

The squad experienced their first loss in 18 matches at the hands of Aston Villa, cutting their advantage at the summit of the league to two points.

Focus now shifts to the European stage, where a sixth group victory would all but secure a top-eight finish. Forward Gabriel Martinelli could create a club record by finding the net in a fifth consecutive Champions League match.

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