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Arsenal's manager has voiced fears that his team's pursuit for honors this season is being threatened by a worrying cycle of fitness setbacks and a relentless fixture list.

Fresh Team News

Key midfielder Declan Rice did not travel for the Champions League clash to face Club Brugge due to illness. Meanwhile, attacker Leandro Trossard and center-back William Saliba remain unavailable.

There was, however, better news regarding Gabriel Jesus, with the Brazilian striker added to their Champions League squad. He comes in for the injured youngster Max Dowman, who picked up an ankle problem.

"Practice, no because we lack time to train. But clearly the fact that you are missing players, you are placing demands on other players more, there's a consequence to that and it's a really dangerous cycle."

Dowman's issue is the latest in a long series of fitness problems for the club. Since the beginning of last campaign, they have recorded 95 player absences, the second-highest total in the English top flight.

Extended Absentees

• Defenders Cristhian Mosquera and Gabriel Magalhães are not expected to be back until 2025.
• Midfielder Kai Havertz continues to recover from surgery and "needs more time," according to the boss.

Arteta dismissed the suggestion that training methods were to blame, pointing to a lack of opportunity for drills. He emphasized the strain on available players, some of whom have played over 150 matches in two seasons.

Transfer Strategy

Despite a major off-season investment over £250 million, Arteta stated the team is not planning to enter the January recruitment market.

"At the moment we're just focusing on bringing the players back and with luck it will be a matter of weeks," he said. "It's clear how crucial those weeks are going to be."

Next Challenge

The squad experienced their initial loss in 18 games at the hands of Aston Villa, reducing their advantage at the summit of the Premier League to two points.

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

"The team is disappointed with the result, but we have to keep going," Martinelli stated. "This isn't like all is going badly because we lost one game. So we remain united."